Dermatomyositis: current controversies 1987.

Dermatomyositis/polymyositis are multisystem disorders affecting both children and adults. The issues regarding malignancy are still unresolved. Is the patient with DM more prone to malignancy than the patient with PM? Is malignancy actually related to the myositis in the meaningful fashion? How should the patient with myositis be evaluated for a potential malignancy neoplasm? The disease is a truly multisystem disease that involves the joints, lungs, heart muscle, and the gastrointestinal system. Newer serologic tests are of benefit in understanding the pathogenesis of the disease and are currently of little use to the clinician. Finally, the therapy for DM can be difficult. Antimalarial use in cutaneous disease can be used for patients who are steroid resistant or who develop steroid side effects. Multiple approaches have been developed but await confirmation regarding their effectiveness in future studies.