Pyomyositis After Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer.Keith, Bruce D. M.D.; Bramwell, Vivien H. C. M.B.B.S., Ph.D.American Journal of Clinical Oncology: February 2000 - Volume 23 - Issue 1 - pp 42-44 Original Article Abstract Author Information Pyomyositis is a rare complication of chemotherapy. A 47-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer, in whom pyomyositis developed after chemotherapy, is described. It was difficult to differentiate between pyomyositis and deep venous thrombosis early in her admission. Pyomyositis should be considered part of the differential diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis. This infection, after chemotherapy, usually is considered to be caused by neutropenia or immunodeficiency secondary to the cancer, or both. It is postulated that subclinical myopathy, secondary to the malignancy or drugs used in treating the malignancy, or both, may also predispose to pyomyositis. From the London Regional Cancer Center, London, Ontario, Canada. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Bruce D. Keith, NCI (Medicine Branch), Building 8, Room 5101, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, 20889, U.S.A. © 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.