title: Bisphosphonate treatment does not affect serum levels of osteoprotegerin and RANKL in hypercalcemic cancer patients.
abstract: Bisphosphonates are the standard treatment for hypercalcemia of malignancy. We hypothesized that bisphosphonate treatment and the subsequent fall in serum calcium might induce changes in the RANK/RANKL/OPG system, which plays a pivotal role in the regulation of bone resorption. Soluble RANKL and OPG levels were measured in the serum of 15 hypercalcemic patients at baseline and on 5 consecutive days following treatment with the amino-bisphosphonate ibandronate. At day 0, the median soluble OPG level was elevated (p=0.0021) in the hypercalcemic group as compared to normal controls, while the median serum RANKL level was not significantly different. Ibandronate treatment and the resulting decrease (p<0.0001) in serum calcium levels did not affect the serum concentrations of OPG, serum RANKL, or the serum RANKL/OPG ratio. In comparison with day 0, these factors did not change significantly at any time-point analyzed.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine and Medical Oncology, Wilhelminenspital der Stadt Wien, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Niklas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zojer
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: Dora
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beke
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kudlacek
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hawa
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Woloszczuk
authors.forename: Lorenz C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Hofbauer
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pecherstorfer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000077557:Ibandronic Acid; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D053245:RANK Ligand; D053246:Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000097:blood*; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D004164:Diphosphonates; D006023:Glycoproteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D053244:Osteoprotegerin; D053245:RANK Ligand; D053246:Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; C505686:TNFRSF11A protein, human; C506030:TNFRSF11B protein, human; C505688:TNFSF11 protein, human; D000077557:Ibandronic Acid