[Treatment of neoplastic hypercalcemia]

Hypercalcemia (HC) is a frequent complication of tumoral disease which should always be treated, tumor therapy being the best treatment. Occasionally, it can prove to be a medical emergency and should be treated without delay, especially where high risk patients are concerned. Sometimes, the treatment is not successful due to the fact that the drugs used in acute crises, although effective, have high toxicity; meanwhile, the drugs used for chronic HC lack the desired level of effectiveness and, in addition, tolerance problems are also implicated. In this paper, we consider the therapeutic schedule, based on physiopathologic mechanisms; and, the various drugs presently being used are reviewed. The therapeutic attitude to be followed during HC is indicated.