Vitamin D deficiency masquerading as metastatic cancer: a case series.
Patients with vitamin D deficiency can present with nonspecific bone pain and findings on radionuclide bone scanning that may suggest metastatic malignancy. In this report, we present 4 such cases, in which clinicians initially pursued diagnoses of metastatic malignancy and did not consider vitamin D deficiency and osteomalacia in the differential diagnosis. Eventual recognition of vitamin D deficiency and provision of supplementation resulted in prompt resolution of symptoms for each patient. In appropriate cases, timely consideration of a diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency can mitigate the anxiety associated with undergoing an evaluation for cancer.
From the Department of Medicine, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, USA.
Jawaad S
JS
Khokhar
Allan S
AS
Brett
Ami
A
Desai
D000368:Aged; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D010018:Osteomalacia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology
D004164:Diphosphonates; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; C114890:technetium 99m methylene bisphosphonate