Hypercalcemia associated with adenosquamous pancreatic carcinoma: a reason to initiate palliative treatment

Abstract

Background: hypercalcemia in patients with diagnosed carcinoma has predominantly a humoral basis mediated by parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP). Among the reported cases, hypercalcemia associated with the majority of abdominal malignancies indicates an advanced stage of disease. Case report: we present a case of a 78-year-old patient with an adenosquamous pancreatic carcinoma associated with humoral hypercalcemia mediated by PTH-rP. Conclusion: in this case, demonstration of unexpectantly rapid increase in calcium serum correlated with aggressive tumor growth led us to raise the hypothesis that PTH-rP could be a mediator of invasion and dissemination secreted by some tumors, and probably indicates the appropriate time to initiate palliative treatment.

Keywords

• Adenosquamous carcinoma
• Pancreatic malignancy
• Humoral hypercalcemia