title: Hypocalcemia and an inappropriate endocrine response in osteoblastic metastatic breast cancer.
abstract: Hypercalcemia in association with skeletal metastases is common; hypocalcemia in this clinical setting is unexpected, though it has also been described, most commonly with primary lesions of the breast or prostate. In a subset of hypocalcemic patients with breast cancer, there is an inappropriate endocrinologic response as evidenced by a relative hypoparathyroidism and an elevation in the serum level of calcitonin. We have described a representative case and reviewed the literature.
authors.affiliation: Madigan Army Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Tacoma, Wash. 98431-5000.
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Bouvier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006996:Hypocalcemia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D002116:Calcitonin; D000242:Cyclic AMP