# Case report: Malignant erythema in an ovarian cancer case: an uncommon paraneoplastic syndrome

## TL;DR

A woman with ovarian cancer showed a rare skin condition called malignant erythema, which improved after surgery, suggesting a link between the skin symptom and the cancer.

## Contribution

This paper presents a rare case of malignant erythema as an initial sign of ovarian cancer, highlighting its potential as a paraneoplastic syndrome.

## Key findings

- Malignant erythema resolved rapidly after surgery for ovarian cancer.
- Dermatomyositis in older patients may be linked to underlying cancer.
- Cutaneous symptoms can precede cancer diagnosis in some cases.

## Abstract

Dermatomyositis is an autoimmune illness that affects the striated muscle and skin. It usually shows muscular and cutaneous manifestation. Age above 40 years and females are risk factors for malignant tumor in patients with dermatomyositis. In our case study, a woman with malignant erythema as her first symptom was reported. She was later diagnosed with ovarian cancer and underwent subtractive surgery, which caused the erythema to rapidly subside. Most similar DM cases suffered from muscular disorders including painless proximal symmetrical weakness as well as weakness of the pharyngeal muscle, often leading to aspiration pneumonia and dysphagia. Here, we reported this case with cutaneous symptoms in detailed clinical information including medicine use and clinical outcome. Cancer screening would be recommended in these intractable cases. On the other side, more researches are needed be focused on the immunity change of ovarian cancer.