Dermatomyositis and Malignant Neoplasms in Adults

The relationship of dermatomyositis and neoplastic disease remains a controversial subject. The present report deals with this combination of seemingly unrelated diseases. The following data reveal that, when childhood cases of dermatomyositis are excluded, the association with cancer is a significant and important feature of dermatomyositis. These studies indicate that the doctor who makes a diagnosis of dermatomyositis in an adult should initiate thorough and repeated searches for a hidden malignant neoplasm. Historical Review Since the original description by Unverricht¹and Wagner²in 1887, dermatomyositis has become a well-recognized clinical entity. The etiology of dermatomyositis remains an enigma; in the past, infection, metabolic defects, endocrine dysfunction, and allergy have been implicated.³⁻⁷The association of this disease with carcinoma was reported in 1916 by Stertz⁸and Kankeleit.⁹In 1935, Bezecny¹⁰called attention to the association of these seemingly unrelated diseases in two women, one 58