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Humoral hypercalcemia in patients with colorectal carcinoma
Author(s) -
Lortholary Alain H.,
Cadeau Sophie D.,
Bertrand Gerard M.,
GuerinMeyer Veronique I.,
Gamelin Erick C.,
Audran Maurice J.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19991201)86:11<2217::aid-cncr7>3.0.co;2-v
Subject(s) - medicine , colorectal cancer , oncology , carcinoma , cancer
BACKGROUND Humoral hypercalcemia rarely is associated with colorectal carcinoma; to the authors' knowledge only nine cases have been reported to date. METHODS Two cases of advanced colorectal carcinoma with humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM) are presented. RESULTS The two patients had severe hypercalcemia without bone metastases. The diagnosis of HHM was based on findings of hypercalcemia, hypophosphoremia, elevated serum parathyroid hormone‐related peptide (PTHrP), and positive tumor immunoreactivity to monoclonal PTHrP antiserum. One patient had a colonic adenocarcinoma with a neuroendocrine component and the other patient had rectal adenocarcinoma. Immunoreactive PTHrP was found in both tumor components. Bisphosphonate treatment normalized the hypercalcemia within a few days but it recurred in the patients 2 weeks and 3 weeks later, respectively. The prognosis was extremely poor. CONCLUSIONS To the authors' knowledge the two cases presented in the current study are the first to be reported with HHM‐associated colorectal carcinoma with positive tumor immunoreactivity to PTHrP monoclonal antiserum. Cancer 1999;86:2217–21. © 1999 American Cancer Society.