Occult malignant tumors in dermatologic disease. The futility of radiological search.

Analysis of 102 patients with dermatomyositis, polymyositis, bullous pemphigoid, and dermatitis herpetiformis was undertaken to determine: (a) the incidence of occult malignant tumors in these diseases, and (b) the value of radiological screening to detect unsuspected malignant neoplasms. The incidence of internal malignant disease was no higher than that encountered in a control population. Radiological screening procedures routinely performed for patients with these disorders failed to disclose any occult neoplasms. A radiological tumor search has no place in the evaluation of these patients unless specific clinical findings suggest carcinoma in a particular organ system.