title: Hypercalcemia associated with adenosquamous pancreatic carcinoma: a reason to initiate palliative treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  hypercalcemia in patients with diagnosed carcinoma has predominantly a humoral basis mediated by parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP). Among the reported cases, hypercalcemia associated with the majority of abdominal malignancies indicates an advanced stage of disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  we present a case of a 78-year-old patient with an adenosquamous pancreatic carcinoma associated with humoral hypercalcemia mediated by PTH-rP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  in this case, demonstration of unexpectantly rapid increase in calcium serum correlated with aggressive tumor growth led us to raise the hypothesis that PTH-rP could be a mediator of invasion and dissemination secreted by some tumors, and probably indicates the appropriate time to initiate palliative treatment.
authors.forename: Eudaldo M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: López-Tomassetti-Fernández
authors.forename: Julián
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Favre-Rizzo
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Delgado-Plasencia
authors.forename: Juan Ramón
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Hernández-Hernández
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018196:Carcinoma, Adenosquamous / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000209:etiology*; D010166:Palliative Care; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*