Malignancy-associated Hypercalcemia: role of Denosumab.

Abstract

Introduction: Hypercalcemia is a common metabolic disorder in patients with malignant diseases; it is primarily associated with multiple myeloma and other hematological malignancy, but hypercalcemia is also found in advanced solid cancers, particularly squamous cell cancer as lung cancer, head and neck cancer, breast cancer, kidney and prostate cancer [1]. Frequent clinical manifestations of malignancy-related hypercalcemia are: nausea, vomiting, ileus, anorexia, dehydration, renal failure, muscle weakness, psychosis, lethargy, coma, and cardiac abnormalities as short QT interval and atrial or ventricular arrhythmia [2]. At least two main mechanisms can be responsible for hypercalcemia in these patients: humoral malignancyassociated hypercalcemia and local osteolytic hypercalcemia [3].