Answer 4 Malignancy work-up. Patients with dermatomyositis have an increased risk for malignancy, and a broad range of malignancies have been reported. A search for malignancy should be age and gender appropriate. This patient does not have dysphagia; if dysphagia were present, a barium swallow test would be indicated, rather than esophageal manometry. Central nervous system and renal disease are not typically associated with dermatomyositis, and thus neither brain MRI nor 24-hour urine collection for protein are necessary in this setting. Click here to return to the questions

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