Case Report

A Child with Dermatomyositis and a Suspicious Lymphadenopathy

GIORGIA MARTINI, FIORELLA CALABRESE, FRANCESCA BISCARO, and FRANCESCO ZULIAN

ABSTRACT.

Dermatomyositis (DM) in adults is frequently associated with cancer. In contrast, juvenile DM (JDM) is predominantly idiopathic and rarely reported with occult neoplasm. We describe a patient who presented with DM that was found to be a paraneoplastic manifestation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Although rare, paraneoplastic JDM must be suspected in the presence of unusual features such as elevated inflammatory markers or lymphadenopathy. Accurate clinical assessment including appropriate biopsies is needed before starting glucocorticoid therapy. (J Rheumatol 2005;32:744-6)

Key Indexing Terms:

JUVENILE DERMATOMYOSITIS
NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA
PARANEOPLASTIC PHENOMENON
MALIGNANCY

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From the Department of Pediatrics, Pathology Institute, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.

G. Martini, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor; F. Biscaro, MD, Clinical Fellow; F. Zulian, MD, Assistant Professor, Rheumatology Unit, Department of Pediatrics; F. Calabrese, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Pathology Institute, University of Padua.

Address reprint requests to Dr. G. Martini, Department of Pediatrics, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani 3, 35128 Padua, Italy. E-mail: martini@pediatria.unipd.it

Accepted for publication July 20, 2005.

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