Open AccessSevere hypercalcemia: A rare and unusual presentation of acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Author(s) -
Swaminathan Dhivyasree,
Dhivyalakshmi Jeevarathnam,
Shuba Sankaranarayanan,
Julius Xavier Scott
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of cancer research and therapeutics/journal of cancer research and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.475
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 0973-1482
pISSN - 1998-4138
DOI - 10.4103/0973-1482.187240
Subject(s) - medicine , calcitonin , complication , presentation (obstetrics) , parathyroid hormone , bisphosphonate , pediatrics , dermatology , surgery , osteoporosis , calcium
Hypercalcemia is a rare and unusual complication of childhood malignancies. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) presenting with hypercalcemia and lytic bone lesions is very rare in children. Here, we report a case of a 4-year-old girl with ALL who presented with severe hypercalcemia and radiological evidence of osteolytic lesions. Malignancies are the most common parathyroid hormone-independent cause of hypercalcemia. Severe hypercalcemia is a life-threatening emergency that should be addressed immediately. Effective treatment includes intense hydration, frusemide, calcitonin, and bisphosphonate in addition to the treatment of underlying cause.