First Japanese patient treated with parathyroid hormone peptide immunization for refractory hypercalcemia caused by metastatic parathyroid carcinoma.

Patients with unresectable parathyroid carcinoma develop severe hypercalcemia, bone fractures and renal failure, and become unresponsive to conventional treatments. It has been shown that successful induction of anti-parathyroid hormone (PTH) antibodies, using PTH peptide fragments for immunisation, normalized serum levels of calcium as well as improved clinical symptoms. Here, we report our experience of PTH immunization in a Japanese female suffering from refractory hypercalcemia and renal failure caused by unresectable metastatic parathyroid carcinoma. Upon immunization, there were apparent clinical responses including reduction of serum levels of Ca along with anti-PTH antibodies induction. Therefore, we concluded that PTH immunization was an effective treatment against hypercalcemia caused by metastatic parathyroid carcinomas that are unresponsive to conventional treatments.