Hypersecretion of calcitonin in patients with the Verner-Morrison syndrome

Three patients with the Verner-Morrison syndrome due to pancreatic tumours are reported; all had an overproduction of calcitonin and hypercalcemia. In two cases the hypercalcitoninaemia was due to an ectopic secretion from the pancreatic tumour, but in one the source could not be determined with certainty. Hypercalcemia in the Verner-Morrison syndrome might be due to simultaneous hyper-parathyroidism (MEA I) or secretion from the tumour of a substance or substances with calcium-elevating properties. Streptozotocin was of beneficial value in treating these patients. None of the patients became diabetic or had any other side effects of the therapy except for nausea and vomiting.