Necrotizing Myopathy as a Remote Effect of Gastric Cancer Accompanied With Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

An autopsy case of a 74-year-old male who had shown clinically hypothyroidism due to chronic atrophic thyroiditis (Hashimoto's thyroiditis), and pathologically necrotizing myopathy as a remote effect of gastric cancer was reported. Morphological features of this necrotizing myopathy was those of carcinomatous myopathy rather than those of hypothyroid or diabetic myopathy. As for the pathogenesis of the necrotizing myopathy (as a Group IV of polymyositis of Walton and Adams), the malignancy might have played an important role as a trigger of the secondary immunological abnormality upon a pre-existing longstranding immune disorder of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Pseudomembranous colitis, which was thought to be related to antibiotics. (Lincomycin), was also briefly discussed.