Open AccessSevere hypocalcaemia following denosumab in a patient with cancer with vitamin D deficiency
Author(s) -
Kanramon Watthanasuntorn,
Haisam Abid,
Rosana Gnanajothy
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
bmj case reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.231
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 1757-790X
DOI - 10.1136/bcr-2018-226727
Subject(s) - hypocalcaemia , denosumab , medicine , vitamin d deficiency , vitamin d and neurology , cancer , prostate cancer , surgery , osteoporosis , calcium
Denosumab is a monoclonal antibody that has been widely used for the prevention of skeletal-related events in patients with cancer with solid tumours and bone metastases, and acts by reducing the release of calcium from bones into the bloodstream. Severe hypocalcaemia is a rare and dangerous side effect of denosumab. We present a case of a patient with metastatic prostate cancer who developed severe hypocalcaemia after receiving a single dose of denosumab. Further laboratory analysis showed that the patient had a low vitamin D level, which contributed to the development of hypocalcaemia. He required an inpatient admission for repeated doses of intravenous calcium.