Squamous cell carcinoma with hypercalcemia and leukocytosis

Squamous cell carcinoma with hypercalcemia and leukocytosis arising from burn scars in a 45-year-old man is reported. Hypercalcemia and leukocytosis improved with pepleomycin treatment and worsened with recurrence of the tumor. Serum levels of parathyroid hormone, prostaglandin E and 25-OH-Vitamin D were within normal limits. Autopsy did not disclose any bone metastases or abnormalities of the parathyroid glands. It is suggested that hypercalcemia and leukocytosis were due to factors produced by the squamous cell carcinoma. This is the fifth reported case of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma associated with hypercalcemia in the absence of bone metastasis or parathyroid gland abnormalities.