Case report: hypercalcemia in acute myeloblastic leukemia is caused by osteoclast activation

Hypercalcemia in adult T-cell leukemia has been attributed to increased levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), whereas in other types of leukemia, hypercalcemia has been blamed on direct skeletal invasion by malignant cells, ectopic parathyroid hormone (PTH) production or bone-resorbing cytokines. A 51-year-old man was studied who presented with back pain, circulating myeloblasts, and hypercalcemia. The bone marrow revealed acute myeloblastic leukemia. While the ionized calcium concentration was 8.17 mg/dL (normal, 4.73 to 5.21 mg/dL), the levels of PTH, PTH-related peptide, vitamin D, and thyroxine were normal or subnormal. Bone histomorphometry showed a decreased cortical width with intracortical erosion cavities dissecting into the marrow space. In cancellous bone, the osteoid area, osteoblast perimeter, and tetracycline fluorescence were sparse, whereas the osteoclast perimeter was increased. Persistent marrow fat, the general absence of trabecular narrowing, and the prompt response to calcitonin suggest that the osteoclasts caused the hypercalcemia and lytic lesions, rather than pressure atrophy or osteolysis by leukemic infiltration. Osteoclast activation and subsequent hypercalcemia may have been due to a locally produced cytokine, such as interleukin-1 beta or tumor necrosis factor.