ABSTRACT
<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>Dermatomyositis (DM) is a multisystem inflammatory disease with a strong association with malignancy. We aimed to describe a series of Asian patients with DM and identify any significant clinical factors associated with malignancy.</p><p><b>MATERIALS AND METHODS</b>This was a retrospective review of a multi-racial cohort of 69 Asian patients diagnosed with DM over an 11-year period from 1996 to 2006.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Malignancy was detected in 15 out of 68 patients (22%), the most common of which was nasopharyngeal carcinoma (7 cases). Compared to the non-malignancy group, the malignancy-associated group was older and had more male patients. There were no statistically significant clinical, serological or laboratory factors associated with a higher risk of malignancy.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This study highlights the importance of ongoing malignancy screening especially for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Asian patients with DM.</p>