title: Hypercalcemia in patients with breast cancer: a survival study.
abstract: In a retrospective study survival after hypercalcemia in breast cancer patients has been investigated. A group of 72 patients were treated with bisphosphonate APD [3-(amino-1,1-hydroxypropylidene)bisphosphonate] and third-generation amino-containing bisphosphonates between January 1980 and October 1992. A median survival of 4.5 months was found. In a multivariate analysis, four independent prognostic factors for survival have been found: the interval between first relapse and hypercalcemia, sites of metastases at the moment of hypercalcemia, primary treatment, and the level of serum alkaline phosphatase. Patients with a "flare" reaction on tamoxifen treatment and patients with a normal serum alkaline phosphatase level and bone metastases only had a prolonged survival. Hypercalcemia associated with visceral metastases carried a very poor prognosis. The level of serum calcium in this series of patients was no prognostic indicator for survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Oncology, University Hospital Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: de Wit
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Cleton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality*; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D012008:Recurrence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors