DERMATOMYOSITIS AS AN INDEX OF MALIGNANT NEOPLASM: REPORT OF A CASE AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

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Abstract
Dermatomyositis in a 47-year-old woman was associated with an inoperable anaplastic ovarian carcinoma. Roentgen irradiation of the carcinoma was followed by temporary regression of symptoms of the dermatomyositis; with regrowth of the neo-plasm, there was recrudescence of the disease. Survey of the literature revealed 2 other instances in which treatment of an associated neoplasm was followed by improvement in derma-tomyositis. A total of 17 cases in all were discovered in which dermatomyositis and malignancies were present concurrently. Dermatomyositis in these cases may represent a type of sensitization reaction to altered protein of the new growth.