Cancer and Dermatomyositis

Abstract

Association between dermatomyositis and breast cancer is reported in few cases in the literature. The case of a patient with dermatomyositis who was diagnosed to be affected by breast cancer is reported, and the specific clinical features of this case are discussed and compared with the data from other reports. In our report the development of dermatomyositis led to the discovery of a breast cancer 8 months after presentation of the first cutaneous symptoms. Furthermore the clinical course of dermatomyositis paralleled the course of breast cancer: surgical treatment of the tumor led to complete remission of symptoms of dermatomyositis, without the need for other therapies. The review of the literature shows that coexisting dermatomyositis and breast cancer is a rare phenomenon, and that the relationship of the clinical course between the two diseases may vary.