Hypercalcemia in breast cancer

Hypercalcemia is a life threatening complication of generalized breast cancer. It developed in 28 out of 205 patients (13.5%) treated in the Department of Medicine of the Cancer Institute of Piraeus during the years 1974-1978. 32 hypercalcemic episodes appeared in these 28 patients and of these episodes, 15 were hormone induced and 16 spontaneous. The interval between hormone institution and appearance of hypercalcemia never exceeded one month. Hypercalcemia was moderate to severe in 81% of the spontaneous hypercalcemic episodes and only in 40% of those hormone induced. The clinical manifestations varied from no symptoms to a severe clinical picture. The most frequent biochemical abnormality was hyperuricemia; azotemia and hypokalemia were also frequent. Administration of phosphates is the most effective therapeutic agent in this complication. When the diagnosis was made promptly and correct treatment initiated without delay, no patient in our material died of hypercalcemia.