Chen et al identified factors which may help identify a patient with dermatomyositis or polymyositis who may have an underlying malignancy. The authors are from Taichung Veterans General Hospital in Taichung, Taiwan.
Patient selection: at a veterans hospital in Taiwan
Factors suggesting an underlying malignancy from multivariate analysis:
(1) age at onset > 45 years
(2) male gender
Factors against an underlying malignancy:
(1) presence of interstitial lung disease
In Taiwan nasopharyngeal carcinoma was a common tumor found in these patients.
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