[Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma associated with polymyositis].

ABSTRACT

A 67-year-old man was admitted to with severe nasal congestion. One year previously, he had been suffered from polymyositis (PM) and had been treated with prednisolone. Physical examination and computed tomography revealed a mass in the upper pharynx. Biopsy revealed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (diffuse medium, B-cell type). Bone marrow aspiration also revealed the infiltration by lymphoma cells. The patient achieved a complete remission after combination chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, prednisolone). However, one month later, he suffered from central nervous system involvement of lymphoma cells, and he died of an aspiration pneumonia. Polymyositis/dermatomyositis associated with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is extremely rare.