title: [Report of 8 cases of dermatomyositis: does association of this entity and neoplasms exist?].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To review eight cases of dermatomyositis (DM) and investigate the association of DM with cancer and mortality rate in this group of patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study of DM cases at Fundación Jiménez Díaz from January 1991 and March 1996.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only two out of the eight patients with DM had concomitant carcinomas (undifferentiated medium cell lung carcinoma and infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast). The mean age was 62 years (the two patients with carcinoma exceeded this age). As for gender incidence, one of the two male patients in this study had cancer, compared with one out of the six female patients. The cause of death in the three patients who died was an infection and so far none of the two patients with associated cancer has died.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite our small series, the incidence of cancer in patients with DM (25%) is similar to that observed in larger series (15%-30%). All patients presented with cutaneous lesions. Only one of them had also hemoptysis and was diagnosed of lung cancer. The diagnosis of breast cancer was obtained with a control mammography. The mortality rate in these two patients was not higher. The incidence of cancer is higher in older DM patients.
authors.affiliation: Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Servicio de Medicina Interna, Madrid.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: García Vázquez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez Guisado
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blanco García
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D003882:Dermatomyositis / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008327:Mammography; D008875:Middle Aged; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
vernacular_title: Presentación de ocho casos de dermatomiositis: existe asociación de esta entidad con neoplasia?