Paraneoplastic syndromes. Hyper- and hypocalcemia: pathogenesis and treatments

Pseudohypoparathyroidism-Albright hereditary osteodystrophy

A 13 year old girl with short stature, and retarded mental growth with coarse facies and deranged thyroid function test was initially suspected as a case of hypothyroidism and was started on thyroxine. Lack of response to treatment and on further investigations it was diagnosed as a case of pseudohypoparathyroidism. High index of suspicion and careful evaluation is important to diagnose such an entity.

Hypercalcemia and breast cancer related to parathormone-like secretion by liver metastases

A premenopausal woman developed hypercalcemia 30 months after treatment for infiltrating breast cancer. After bone metastases had been excluded, primary hyperparathyroidism was suspected. A parathyroid adenoma was removed and histologically confirmed. Hypercalcemia, associated with low plasma phosphate and severely depressed plasma parathormone (PTH) levels, persisted. Further investigations showed liver metastases from the primary breast cancer and also secretion of a PTH-like substance. Antitumoral treatment was effective on the liver metastases and also normalized calcemia and the PTH-like substance, demonstrating the existence of a paraneoplastic syndrome related to the secretion of a PTH-like substance by disseminated liver metastases of primary breast cancer.

Granular cell tumor of the bronchus: a previously unreported cause of hypercalcemia

Hypercalcemia was found in a patient with an endobronchial granular cell tumor. To the best of our knowledge, the association of hypercalcemia and granular cell tumor has not been previously reported in the literature. Resection of the tumor resulted in the return of the serum calcium levels to normal. Investigation of the metabolic status of the patient suggested that the tumor was not producing parathormone.

Pulmonary carcinoid associated with a parathormone producing melanoma

A rare presentation of hypercalcemia secondary to the probable ectopic production of parathormone by a malignant melanoma associated with a pulmonary carcinoid is discussed. We suggest the association of melanoma with multiple endocrine neoplasia.

Hypercalcemia associated with renal cell carcinoma: probable role of neoplastic stromal cells

Sarcomatous proliferation of the fibroblast-like stromal cells in renal cell carcinoma was found in three patients who had apparently tumor-associated hypercalcemia but no evidence of bone metastases. The proliferation of stromal cells was not found in 20 patients who also had renal cell carcinoma without hypercalcemia. Immunoreactive parathormone-like substance was detected in two of the three patients with hypercalcemia, despite high levels of serum calcium. The parathormone assay was not conducted on the third hypercalcemic patient, however. Buffer extract from one of the tumors associated with hypercalcemia was able to elicit an increase of the serum calcium in rats, whereas buffer extract from a tumor not associated with hypercalcemia failed to induce hypercalcemia in rats. Findings suggest that the stromal cells of renal cell carcinoma may play a role in the tumor-associated hypercalcemia. The exact nature of the hypercalcemic agent is uncertain. However, in the case studied it appears that a parathormone-like substance was responsible.

Hypercalcemia complicating childhood malignancies: a report of seven cases with some pathophysiological considerations

A group of seven children with different malignant processes presenting with hypercalcemia was studied. Bone destruction, diffuse metabolic abnormalities, abnormal acid-base homeostasis and recurrent hypercalcemia characterized these patients. A different mechanism leading to the production of hypercalcemia and/or bone destruction by cancer cells is considered. The results of this report suggest that parathyroid hormone production (P.T.H.) by the parathyroid glands is normal and that ectopic secretion of PTH or PTH-like material is negligible in these cases.

Depression and cancer: a follow-up study

Thirty-nine male and 90 female patients aged 40 and over, who had been given a primary diagnosis of depression, were followed up for 2 1/3-4 years. During this period 9 male and 9 female patients died. Five male patients and 1 female died from cancer that had not been diagnosed at the time of their psychiatric admissions. The male cancer deaths are significantly higher than expected. The possible relationships of malignant neoplasm to affective disorder are discussed.

Ectopic hyperparathyroidism (pseudohyperparathyroidism) in esophageal malignancy. Report of a case and a review of the literature

Described here is a patient with esophageal carcinoma who had hypercalcemia, an elevated serum level of parathyroid hormone and normal parathyroid glands. A review of the literature reveals that a total of 25 other patients with ectopic hyperparathyroidism in esophageal malignancy have been described, four of whom had documented elevations of serum parathyroid hormone levels. Esophageal neoplasms should be added to the list of tumors associated with ectopic secretion of parathyroid hormone.