Pamidronate and calcitonin as therapy of acute cancer-related hypercalcemia in children

Case report: Surgical treatment of McCune-Albright syndrome with hyperthyroidism and retrosternal goiter: A case report and literature review

Introduction

McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS) is a low-incidence syndrome consisting of the clinical triad of fibrous structural dysplasia of bone, endocrine disease, and skin pigmentation. Thyroid dysfunction is the second most common endocrine dysregulation in MAS. However, there are no treatment guidelines for MAS complicated with hyperthyroidism. Notably, no case of MAS complicated with retrosternal goiter and hyperthyroidism has been reported to our knowledge.

Case presentation

We report a 27-year-old man with MAS who developed the typical triad of bone fibrous dysplasia, skin pigmentation and hyperthyroidism, complaining of recent fast-growing neck mass and difficulty in breathing. Hyperthyrodism was under control by Thiamazole, and computed tomography showed an enlarged thyroid extending retrosternally. We performed a total thyroidectomy on the patient. At the 1-year follow-up, the patient's dyspnea, hyperthyroidism, and bone pain were all significantly alleviated.

Review

We searched the literature for previous case reports concerning MAS patients complicated with thyroid dysregulation. A total of 17 articles and 22 patients were identified to form our database. Among them, 9 studies clearly mentioned surgical intervention in 11 patients, and prognoses were also reported. Surgery was the most common intervention chosen and indicated a satisfactory prognosis.

Conclusion

We report a rare case of MAS patient complicated with retrosternal goiter and hyperthyroidism. Our review provides an overview of MAS cases requiring interventions on thyroid function, and total thyroidectomy should be a proper treatment for these patients.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with Malignant Hypercalcemia: A Case Report

Patient: Female, 6

Final Diagnosis: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Symptoms: Abdominal pain • bloody diarrhea • malaise • vomiting

Medication: —

Clinical Procedure: Chemotherapy

Specialty: Oncology

The Current and Future Therapies for Human Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common non-hematologic malignant tumor of bone in adults and children. As sarcomas are more common in adolescents and young adults than most other forms of cancer, there are a significant number of years of life lost secondary to these malignancies. OS is associated with a poor prognosis secondary to a high grade at presentation, resistance to chemotherapy and a propensity to metastasize to the lungs. Current OS management involves both chemotherapy and surgery. The incorporation of cytotoxic chemotherapy into therapeutic regimens escalated cure rates from <20% to current levels of 65-75%. Furthermore, limb-salvage surgery is now offered to the majority of OS patients. Despite advances in chemotherapy and surgical techniques over the past three decades, there has been stagnation in patient survival outcome improvement, especially in patients with metastatic OS. Thus, there is a critical need to identify novel and directed therapy for OS. Several Phase I trials for sarcoma therapies currently ongoing or recently completed have shown objective responses in OS. Novel drug delivery mechanisms are currently under phase II and III clinical trials. Furthermore, there is an abundance of preclinical research which holds great promise in the development of future OS-directed therapeutics. Our continuously improving knowledge of the molecular and cell-signaling pathways involved in OS will translate into more effective therapies for OS and ultimately improved patient survival. The present review will provide an overview of current therapies, ongoing clinical trials and therapeutic targets under investigation for OS.

Addition of pamidronate to chemotherapy for the treatment of osteosarcoma

BACKGROUND

This study evaluated the safety and feasibility of the addition of pamidronate to chemotherapy for treatment of osteosarcoma.

METHODS

The authors treated 40 patients with osteosarcoma with cisplatin, doxorubicin, and methotrexate with the addition of pamidronate 2 mg/kg/dose (max dose 90 mg) monthly for 12 doses. Survival, event-free survival (EFS), and durability of orthopedic reconstruction were evaluated.

RESULTS

For patients with localized disease, event-free survival (EFS) at 5 years was 72% and overall survival 93%. For patients with metastatic disease, EFS at 5 years was 45% and overall survival 64%. Toxicity was similar to patients treated with chemotherapy alone. Thirteen of 14 uncemented implants demonstrated successful osteointegration. Among allograft reconstructions, there were 2 graft failures, 4 delayed unions, and 6 successful grafts. Overall, 5 of 33 reconstructions failed. There were no stress fractures or growth disturbances.

CONCLUSIONS

Pamidronate can be safely incorporated with chemotherapy for the treatment of osteosarcoma. It does not impair the efficacy of chemotherapy. Pamidronate may improve the durability of limb reconstruction.

Short-term bisphosphonate therapy could ameliorate osteonecrosis: a complication in childhood hematologic malignancies

Osteonecrosis (ON) is a critical complication in the treatment of childhood leukemia and lymphoma. It particularly affects survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma reflecting the cumulative exposure to glucocorticosteroid therapy. ON is often multiarticular and bilateral, specially affecting weight-bearing joints. A conventional approach suggests a surgical intervention even if pharmacological options have also recently been investigated. We reported two cases of long time steroid-treated patients who underwent Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) for hematological disease. Both patients developed femoral head osteonecrosis (ON) that was diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the ON was also accompanied with pain and a limp. Despite of the conventional strategies of therapy, we successfully started a short-term treatment with bisphosphonates in order to decrease the pain and the risk of fracture.

[Hypercalcemia of malignancy: clinical features, diagnosis and treatment]

Hypercalcemia associated with malignancies is reported in up to 20 to 30% of patients with cancer during the course of the disease, and points to a poor prognosis. Symptoms related to the central nervous system, as progressive mental impairment, stupor and coma, predominate. Alterations in kidney function (water-concentrating defect leading to polyuria) and gastrointestinal tract (anorexia, nausea, vomiting) corroborate to dehydration and a further increase in serum calcium. Cancer-induced hypercalcemia may be classified as: 1) local osteolytic hypercalcemia (LOH), due to marked increase in osteoclastic bone resorption in areas surrounding the malignant cells within the marrow space; 2) humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy, caused by the secretion of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) by the malignant tumor; 3) ectopic hyperparathyroidism; 4) 1,25(OH)2 D-secreting tumors. Adequate control of hypercalcemia is necessary to give the patient time to respond to anti-cancer therapy. Volume expansion with saline will correct dehydration, improve glomerular filtration and increase urinary calcium excretion, which may be further stimulated by loop diuretics. Intravenous bisphosphonates are the most effective agents to control hypercalcemia, as they block osteoclastic osteolysis and also have antitumoral effects, decreasing bone metastases. New approaches to control the skeletal manifestations of malignancies are anti-PTHrP and anti-RANKL antibodies, osteoprotegerin, and also proteasome inhibitors in the case of multiple myeloma.

Life-threatening hypercalcemia complicated by pancreatitis in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

The authors describe a 9-year-old girl with precursor-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who presented with dehydration and severe hypercalcemia. She had received oral vitamin D and calcium supplementation for 4 days, the last dose 48 hours prior to admission, and required pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) hospitalization for management of the hypercalcemia and safe initiation of induction chemotherapy. Her clinical course was complicated by pancreatitis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, pleural effusion, and focal seizures. Although the exact mechanism of hypercalcemia was not elucidated, it was likely related to the underlying ALL, without dismissing the prior vitamin D and calcium supplementation as a possible contributing factor. The hypercalcemia resolved with specific antileukemic therapy along with supportive care and administration of calcitonin. Hypercalcemia is an uncommon metabolic abnormality in children with ALL, but it can be life-threatening. Children with ALL should be referred to tertiary-care institutions with PICU and subspecialty support because serious metabolic and other complications can occur before or after the administration of chemotherapy.

Hypercalcemia and childhood cancer: a 7-year experience

Hypercalcemia is a rare but potentially fatal complication during the management of childhood cancer. The treatment of severe hypercalcemia in children has not been clearly defined. The authors present a retrospective series of 16 children (11 boys and 5 girls) with severe hypercalcemia (>/=2.9 mmol/L) treated between 1997 and 2004 for malignancy. Median serum calcium level was 3.14 mmol/L. Hypercalcemia was present at the initial diagnosis of cancer (eight patients) or occurred during treatment (five patients) or during relapse (three patients). Three children had several episodes of hypercalcemia. All children were treated by hydration for a median of 7 days (range 2-12 days). Eight patients received intravenous pamidronate. The other treatments were adapted to the mechanism of hypercalcemia. Serum calcium levels were lowered to below 3 mmol/L after a median of 2 days and to below 2.7 mmol/L after a median of 4 days after starting treatment. Pamidronate was well tolerated apart from one case of multifactorial renal failure. Intravenous pamidronate is a safe and effective treatment for severe cancer-related hypercalcemia in children. Specific therapy must be initiated as soon as possible. Serum calcium levels must be monitored for a fortnight after administration of pamidronate due to the risk of hypocalcemia.

Hypercalcemia in malignant and inflammatory diseases

Hypercalcemia is one of the most common metabolic abnormalities in human disease. Although there are many causes, most cases are due to neoplasia. Understanding the pathophysiology can lead to correct diagnosis and effective therapy for most patients.