Amplification of the parathyroid hormone-related peptide gene in a colonic carcinoma

PTH-related peptide (PTHrP) is the major factor responsible for humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. This paraneoplastic syndrome has been described in association with a number of malignancies, but rarely with carcinoma of the colon. Moreover, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that underlie PTHrP overexpression in tumors. Here we report a patient who presented with hypercalcemia 6 months after resection of a neuroendocrine colonic carcinoma (tumor I). At the time of admission, intact PTH was decreased, circulating PTHrP levels were elevated, and there was tumor recurrence (tumor II). Immunohistochemical staining of paraffin-embedded sections from tumor I did not stain for PTHrP, whereas cells from tumor II stained intensely positive. Southern blot analysis and differential PCR of genomic DNAs from tumor specimens and the patient's leukocytes demonstrated amplification of the PTHrP gene in tumor II. Moreover, staining for p53 protein was evident in tumor II, but not in tumor I, consistent with the presence of a mutant form of p53 and associated loss of tumor suppressor function in the recurrent tumor. PTHrP gene amplification was also detected in one of five other tumors associated with humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. These findings suggest that a potential mechanism contributing to PTHrP overexpression in malignancies is gene amplification, which could arise from increased genomic instability associated with the progressive stages of neoplasia.