Open AccessParaneoplastic dermatomyositis and prostate cancer: myopathy regression under cancer-directed therapy
Author(s) -
Mafalda Miranda Baleiras,
Luís Maduro,
Carolina Vasques,
Filipa Ferreira,
M. Pinto,
Ana Martins
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
dermatology reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.183
H-Index - 10
eISSN - 2036-7406
pISSN - 2036-7392
DOI - 10.4081/dr.2021.9262
Subject(s) - medicine , malignancy , dermatomyositis , prostate cancer , cancer , etiology , dysphagia , rash , dermatology , myopathy , inflammatory myopathy , pathology , oncology , surgery
Prostate cancer is the second most frequent malignancy in men worldwide and the fifth leading cause of death. Dermatomyositis (DM) is a rare idiopathic inflammatory myopathy characterized by musculocutaneous manifestations. However, DM can also present as a paraneoplastic syndrome of an underlying neoplasm. We report a case of a 65-year-old man diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma in the setting of severe dysphagia, muscle weakness and a facial erythematous rash. At first, the DM-related symptoms resolved with the initial treatment for the underlying malignancy. Yet, they flared up as the tumor progressed. To sum up, DM is a rare systemic disorder with unknown etiology. There is a well-established association between DM and malignancy. Malignancy-headed therapy can improve DM manifestations and the recurrence of DM symptoms may act as an early warning of malignancy relapse.