Fatal Bladder Cancer and Dermatomyositis
Dermatomyositis is an uncommon inflammatory myopathy accompanied by characteristic cutaneous findings. Adult-onset dermatomyositis is often associated with internal malignancy. We report a case of dermatomyositis associated with an aggressive and fatal case of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

Dermatomyositis is an uncommon inflammatory myopathy associated with characteristic cutaneous findings and whose etiology and pathogenesis are not well-understood. A variety of primary malignancies have been associated with dermatomyositis. Several studies have shown that the types of cancer parallel tumors prevalent in the population, though others have suggested an over-representation of cancers of the lung, ovary, and lymphatic and hematopoietic systems. There have been only two reported cases in the English language of dermatomyositis associated with bladder cancer. We report a case of dermatomyositis associated with an aggressive and fatal case of transitional cell cancer of the bladder.