Dermatomyositis and Carcinoma (A Study Based on an 18 Year Follow-Up in Bulgaria)

SUMMARY. The association of dermatomyositis with malignant disease is briefly reviewed, and all reported cases in the Bulgarian medical literature are listed. Of 18 cases of dermatomyositis investigated at the Plovdiv Clinic, 12 were over 40 years of age. Of these 50% had an associated carcinoma. In 1 the symptoms of dermatomyositis preceded by 3 years the discovery of the tumour. It is essential that any patient over 40 with dermatomyositis should be intensively and repeatedly investigated for the presence of malignant disease.