title: Bones, groans and blasts.
abstract: A 14-year-old girl presented with the acute onset of gastrointestinal symptoms due to hypercalcaemia. Chest X-ray revealed osteolytic lesions in the ribs which in conjunction with a normal parathyroid hormone level raised the possibility of malignancy. Despite the absence of blast cells in her blood film, the bone marrow biopsy was diagnostic of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. She responded well to treatment with pamidronate and chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shanks
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Linke
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Saxon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D010014:Osteolysis / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology; D000077268:Pamidronate; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004164:Diphosphonates; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D000077268:Pamidronate