Clinical Characteristics, Therapeutic Options, and Outcomes in Hyperphosphatemic Tumoral Calcinosis: A Systematic Review.

Abstract

This systematic review was performed to understand better the myriad presentations, various therapeutic options, response to therapy, and its clinical outcomes in hyperphosphatemic tumoral calcinosis (HTC). Full texts were selected according to strict inclusion criteria. All case reports of HTC wherein baseline phosphate was measured, treatment offered was mentioned, and information on follow-up and response to therapy that were available were included. A total of 43 of 188 eligible studies (N = 63 patients) met the inclusion criteria. A list of desired data was extracted and graded for methodological quality. A total of 63 individuals (Males = 33) were included from the 43 eligible case studies. The median age of the patients was 18 (IQR 8-32) years. The most frequently involved sites were the hip/gluteal region (34/63; 53.9%) followed by the elbow/forearm (26/63; 41.2%), and the shoulder (18/63; 28.5%). Three patients had conjunctival calcific deposits. The mean (SD) phosphate was 6.9 (1.1) mg/dL. Among the subjects, 36/63 (57.1%) underwent surgical excision with some form of medical therapy. Two patients underwent only surgical excision (2.1%). One patient was maintained on follow-up (1.6%) and 24/63 (38.1%) patients were treated with medical measures. The median (IQR) follow-up duration was 3 (1-9) years. Regression or reduction in lesion size was reported in 19/63 (30.2%) subjects; 20/63 (31.7%) showed progression, 24/63 (38.1%) had features of stable disease, and mortality was reported in 3 patients (4.7%). We report for the first time a detailed description of the clinical and therapeutic response of HTC. A combination of medical measures aimed at lowering serum phosphate appears to be the cornerstone of treatment, although clinical responses may vary.