Abstract
A 76-year-old woman presented with itchy erythema on the face, upper arms and trunk, muscle tenderness of the extremities and general fatigue. A diagnosis of dermatomyositis was made according to the clinical manifestations, a high level of serum CK, and a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate. No malignant tumor was found at the initial investigation. She was treated with oral prednisolone at 50 mg per day, and her symptoms were improved. However, her disease relapsed 3 months later, and a small cell lung cancer with multiple metastases was found. The tumors were treated with chemotherapy and regional radiotherapy ; nevertheless, she died 8 months after her first visit. We reviewed the clinical characteristics of dermatomyositis associated with malignant tumors.
