Subacute inflammatory myopathy associated with papillary cancer of the thyroid gland

Inflammatory myopathies comprise a group of rare autoimmune muscle diseases characterized by a variable degree of muscle weakness, elevated creatine kinase levels and necrotic fibres associated with invading inflammatory cells at histologic examination. Although there are several reports about their relationship with malignancy, association with papillary cancer of the thyroid gland is extremely rare. We present a case of a female patientdiagnosed withinflammatory myopathy and apapillary cancer of the thyroid gland, with a remarkable clinical improvement after thyroid cancer surgery and radioactive iodine treatment, supporting a correlation between the two conditions.