Abstract
A 58-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of progressive muscle weakness and pain of the extremities. Past history and familial history are unremarkable. In October 1996, he began to feel muscle pain. The pain disappeared gradually after one week, but he began to feel muscle weakness of the extremities. The serum GOT, GPT and LDH levels on admission were high, and especially the CPK level was 17330 IU/l. The diagnosis of polymyositis was made by examination of muscle biopsy. Steroid therapy was performed for three days from October 16. The CPK decreased to 6222 IU/l after the treatment, but muscle strength did not improve. The CPK rose again to 11440 IU/l on October 30, and he felt difficulty in swallowing. He passed bloody stool, and a colonoscopy revealed a rectal cancer at Rb of the rectum, and a biopsy showed malignant cells. A diagnosis of rectal cancer associated with polymyositis was made, and a rectal amputation was performed on November 12. He was able to walk 2months after surgical treatment of the cancer. The CPK level was normalized and muscle strength improved completely 4 months later. He has had no recurrent sign of the cancer, nor relapse of Polymyositis as of 6 months after the operation.
