hypercalcemia of malignancy


hypercalcemia

 [hi″per-kal-se´me-ah] excess of calcium in the blood; called also calcemia. See calcium, and see table of Electrolyte Imbalances at electrolyte.idiopathic hypercalcemia a condition of infants, associated with vitamin D intoxication, characterized by elevated serum calcium levels, increased skeletal density, mental deterioration, and nephrocalcinosis.hypercalcemia of malignancy abnormal elevation of serum calcium associated with malignant tumors, resulting from osteolysis caused by bone metastases or by the action of circulating osteoclast-activating factors released from distant tumor cells (known as humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy).

hypercalcemia of malignancy

A clinical complex, 50% of which results from hypersecretion of parathyroid hormone-related protein–PTHRP, aka parathyroid hormone-related peptide; HCM may result from either direct replacement–eg, in lympho- and myeloproliferative malignancies–eg, leukemia, adult T cell lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, lymphosarcoma, myeloma or solid tumors–eg, CA of breast, lung, pancreas, or due to factors; normal subjects have low–<2.0 pmol/L levels of PTHRP, while those with HCM may have plasma levels > 20.9 pmol/L; hypercalcemia may be moderate 10.8-12 mg/dL; or severe >12 mg/dL; HCM is uncommon– ± 1% and occurs in Pts with more advanced disease, distant metastases, and poor prognoses Diagnosis RIA Treatment HCM may respond to bleomycin