title: Zoledronate in a patient with pamidronate refractory hypercalcemia syndrome.
abstract: Hypercalcemia of malignancy remains a common metabolic complication of advanced cancer often resulting in considerable morbidity and diminishing life quality in the later stages of disease. Bisphosphonates, especially zoledronic acid, are potent inhibitors of bone resorption and are the most effective therapy for hypercalcemia of malignancy. We report on the course of disease in a 51-year-old woman who presented with metastatic breast cancer that had relapsed to the liver. The patient suffered from a pamidronate-refractory paraneoplastic hypercalcemia, which caused a confused mental status and compromised her already severely limited life quality. Only with the introduction of zoledronate could the patient's hypercalcemia be normalized with consecutive regain of an acceptable life quality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Oncology, University Hospital of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Catharina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wenzel
authors.forename: Rupert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bartsch
authors.forename: Dagmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hussian
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pluschnig
authors.forename: Gottfried J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Locker
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sevelda
authors.forename: Christoph C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Zielinski
authors.forename: Guenther G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Steger
mesh_terms: D001862:Bone Resorption; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004351:Drug Resistance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D000077268:Pamidronate; D011788:Quality of Life; D012008:Recurrence; D000077211:Zoledronic Acid
chemical_list: D004164:Diphosphonates; D007093:Imidazoles; D000077211:Zoledronic Acid; D000077268:Pamidronate