Dermatomyositis associated with chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Dermatomyositis and polymyositis have been well established in association with malignant neoplastic disease. Most commonly, this association has been noted in patients with solid tumors rather than in patients with neoplasms of hematopoietic origin. We describe here a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia who developed typical dermatomyositis, which responded to therapy with corticosteroids. This concurrence has been reported in only one previous patient to our knowledge. The nature and implications of the association of dermatomyositis and neoplasia are discussed.