Rhabdomyosarcoma and hypercalcemia

Hypercalcemia has not been reported as a complication of rhabdomyosarcoma in adults. We present the case of a 56-year-old man with pain in his right leg and hypercalcemia secondary to a large pelvic tumor. He had a rapidly progressive downhill course resulting in death due to tonsillar herniation. Although the results of special stains were negative, light microscopy showed poorly differentiated tumor, with features consistent with rhabdomyosarcoma. In children, hypercalcemia secondary to rhabdomyosarcoma is not uncommon and has been associated with bony metastasis, increased parathyroid hormone, and increased levels of prostaglandin E2.