Ascending Colon Cancer Associated with Dermatomyositis Which Was Cured after Colon Resection

Abstract

A 76-year-old woman with muscle ache, weakness of the extremities, and skin rash was diagnosed with dermatomyositis (DM). Upon the diagnosis of DM, a systemic survey of malignancy revealed an advanced carcinoma of the ascending colon. The patient underwent right hemicolectomy approximately 2 months after the onset of DM. The symptoms and signs of DM disappeared after the surgery without additional therapy. DM is an idiopathic systemic inflammatory disease characterized by muscle ache, muscle weakness, and skin rash. In some cases, DM develops as paraneoplastic syndrome, and it is assumed that 30% of DM patients have cancer. Symptoms and signs of DM can be attenuated by treatment of the malignancy, and they reappear if the malignancy recurs. It is essential to perform a systemic survey of malignancy in DM patients, and treatment of the malignancy has to precede treatment of DM.

Dermatomiositis y cáncer colorrectal: reporte de caso y revisión de la literatura

“…Su incidencia en Estados Unidos es de 5 a 10 por 1 millón de habitantes y tiene predilección por el sexo femenino en relación 3:1. El pico de incidencia se da entre los 40 y 60 años de edad (8). La asociación de dermatomiositis y malignidad fue establecida por primera vez en 1916 en un paciente con cáncer gástrico.…”

Colon Cancer: An Unusual Presentation with a Paraneoplastic Syndrome

“…DM is considered a part of paraneoplastic syndrome [3,6,7], meaning it is a clinical syndrome associated with an underlying malignancy owing to the production of antibodies [6]. Paraneoplastic syndromes affect any part of the nervous system, neuromuscular junction, and muscles.…”

“…The antibodies which indicated a higher risk of malignancy were: transcription intermediary factor 1γ (TIF-1γ) [5], and nuclear matrix protein NXP-2 [3,5,8,9]. About a third of patients diagnosed with DM are diagnosed with cancer during its clinical course [6], with adenocarcinomas of the lung, stomach, pancreas, colon, and pelvis being most common [2,4,6,10]. The malignancy is most likely diagnosed simultaneously with or shortly after the diagnosis of myopathy has been made [10][11][12].…”

Dermatomyositis Associated with Myelofibrosis following Polycythemia Vera

“…Prior case reports have documented resolution of DM after treatment of underlying neoplasm [ 24 , 25 ]. Unfortunately, given the poor clinical condition many patients with paraneoplastic DM present with, surgical resection or chemotherapy may not be tolerated.…”