title: Effect of salmon calcitonin and etidronate on hypercalcemia of malignancy.
abstract: Hypercalcemia of malignancy is a commonly encountered serious clinical problem that often requires aggressive therapy. In order to combine the rapid hypocalcemic effects of calcitonin with the more delayed effect of a bisphosphonate, we administered etidronate, 7.5 mg/kg/day intravenously and salmon calcitonin, 100 IU subcutaneously, every 12 hours for 3 days in 9 patients with hypercalcemia associated with malignancy. The mean serum calcium concentration fell from 3.33 +/- 0.1 mmol/liter (mean +/- SEM) to 2.88 +/- 0.1 mmol/liter within 24 hours (P less than 0.001). All patients had a fall in the serum calcium concentration of greater than 0.5 mmol/liter and it returned to normal in 7 of the 9 patients. We conclude that the combination of salmon calcitonin with etidronate more effectively lowers the serum calcium concentration in patients with hypercalcemia of malignancy then the use of either agent alone.
authors.affiliation: Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center 90033.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fatemi
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Rude
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D012968:Etidronic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D012474:Salmon
chemical_list: D002116:Calcitonin; D012968:Etidronic Acid; D002118:Calcium