An 11-year Review of Dermatomyositis in Asian Patients

Introduction: Dermatomyositis (DM) is a multisystem infl ammatory disease with a strong association with malignancy. We aimed to describe a series of Asian patients with DM and identify any signifi cant clinical factors associated with malignancy. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective review of a multi-racial cohort of 69 Asian patients diagnosed with DM over an 11-year period from 1996 to 2006. Results: Malignancy was detected in 15 out of 68 patients (22%), the most common of which was nasopharyngeal carcinoma (7 cases). Compared to the non-malignancy group, the malignancy-associated group was older and had more male patients. There were no statistically signifi cant clinical, serological or laboratory factors associated with a higher risk of malignancy. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of ongoing malignancy screening especially for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Asian patients with DM. Ann Acad Med Singapore 2010;39:843-7