Use

Evaluating patients with suspected paraneoplastic encephalitides using serum specimens. Ma2 antibodies are IgG biomarkers found in patients with paraneoplastic encephalitis (limbic encephalitis or brainstem encephalitis) or cerebellar ataxia. Antibodies (Ab) to Ma antigens can be found directed at Ma2 alone, or both Ma1 and Ma2, but never Ma1 alone. The accompanying neurological disorders (encephalitis, dementia, brainstem encephalitis, cerebellar ataxia) are usually severe. The cancer associations are either testicular germinoma (Ma2 Ab positive only) or diverse (Ma1 and Ma2 Ab positive). Neurological improvement upon treatment of cancer or immunotherapy is more commonly encountered in those seropositive for Ma2 only than when compared to Ma1 and Ma2 together.