[3 cases of paraneoplastic syndrome caused by lymphoma of the small intestine].

Three cases of lymphoma of the small intestine accompanied by numerous aspecific signs related to probable paraneoplastic syndromes are reported. All patients presented watch glass nails and drumstick fingers. These were associated, in the first patient, with initial pruritus followed by a picture of ichthyosis and, in the second, with a polyneuritic syndrome localised initially at the nerves of the lumbosacral plexus, later extended to the right facial nerve. The practical importance of such signs, which often precede and dominate, at least initially, symptomatology in the gastroenteric apparatus, is pointed out. Their early recognition may lead to a suspicion of the fundamental condition, thus avoiding diagnostic errors and permitting earlier diagnosis and faster treatment.