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A 50-year-old man with prostate cancer suddenly developed an Irish accent. This extremely rare foreign accent syndrome is usually caused by brain damage.
It is an unusual story to say the least. According to information from British Medical Journal (BMJ)a man in his fifties developed a “Irish brogue accent“despite the absence of Irish descent.
A sudden Irish accent
While he had never set foot in Ireland, the man “with hormone-responsive metastatic prostate cancer receiving androgen deprivation therapy and abiraterone/prednisone acetate, presented with an accent [de type] Uncontrollable “Irish brogue” despite no Irish descent, consistent with Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS)“, details the newspaper.
“He had no abnormalities on neurological examination, psychiatric history or MRI showing brain abnormalities at the onset of symptoms.“, specify the doctors.
This foreign accent syndrome usually occurs as a result of a head impact or injury to the brain – in the areas controlling language functions. However, the man stated that he had never suffered such injuries. The only adverse effect noted is a “unintentional weight loss“.
A paraneoplastic neurological syndrome
If the 50-year-old was already suffering from prostate cancer when this accent problem appeared, the doctors believe that he is mainly suffering “a paraneoplastic neurological syndrome“, characterized by the acute onset of a neurological syndrome associated with active cancer.
According to the Orphanet database, “paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) can be defined as remote effects of cancer that are caused neither by the tumor or its metastases, nor by infection, ischemia or metabolic disturbances (…) They are due autoimmune reactions triggered by cancer and directed against antigens common to cancer cells and the nervous system, called onconeuronal antigens“.
For experts, this extremely rare clinical case highlights the need for more work on “paraneoplastic neurological syndromes and the occurrence of foreign accent syndrome“.
Since this study, the man has died in palliative care. The doctors specify that he kept this Irish accent until his death.