BACKGROUND:

Dermatomyositis, as a paraneoplastic syndrome, can be associated with ovarian cancer 9 to 21.4% of the time. Due to the muscle involvement involved, it is a major overshadowing in the morbidity of these patients. To identify the primary tumor, it is necessary to have a high level of diagnostic suspicion, which means performing complementary tests not yet clearly established.

CLINICAL CASE:

A 62-year-old patient, with no known allergies, consulted due to the appearance of a pruritic rash of 20 days of evolution in the facial region, neck, neckline and external face of the limbs accompanied by myalgia and some asthenia. Examination revealed erythematous maculopapular exanthema in the mainly photoexposed body regions and papules in the dorsal region of the metacarpophalangeal joints. The definitive anatomopathologic study reported: high-grade serous carcinoma with multinodular solid pattern in the left ovary and high-grade serous carcinoma with multinodular solid-papillary pattern in the right ovary; both adnexae with paratubal infiltration.

CONCLUSIONS:

Establishing a correct and rapid diagnosis of dermatomyositis is fundamental due to its strong association with occult neoplasms; this makes it decisive to confirm the diagnosis and carry out an exhaustive extension study, especially in high-risk patients, when faced with a patient with data of dermatomyositis.