Tamoxifen-induced hypercalcemia in breast cancer.
Among 470 patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with tamoxifen, ten patients (2.3%) developed hypercalcemia. All patients with hypercalcemia had osteolytic or mixed lytic and blastic bone metastases. Hypercalcemia developed after a median period of seven days (range 4-11 days) of tamoxifen administration. Hypercalcemia was treated with conventional measures and serum calcium levels normalized in nine patients, either with a brief interruption of tamoxifen therapy or in spite of continued treatment. Four patients experienced partial remissions with continued tamoxifen therapy. These results indicate that hypercalcemia is a potentially serious complication of tamoxifen therapy but is generally short-lived, and can be controlled with supportive measures, thus allowing continued tamoxifen administration.
D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013997:Time Factors
D013629:Tamoxifen