Dermatomyositis and Malignant Neoplasms in Adults: A Survey of Twenty Years' Experience

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 Unverricht¹ and Wagner² in 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.^3-7 The association of this disease with carcinoma was reported in 1916 by Stertz⁸ and Kankeleit.⁹ In 1935, Bezecny¹⁰ called attention to the association of these seemingly unrelated diseases in two women, one 58