de Wit S, Cleton F J
Department of Clinical Oncology, University Hospital Leiden, The Netherlands.
J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 1994;120(10):610-4. doi: 10.1007/BF01212816.
In a retrospective study survival after hypercalcemia in breast cancer patients has been investigated. A group of 72 patients were treated with bisphosphonate APD [3-(amino-1,1-hydroxypropylidene)bisphosphonate] and third-generation amino-containing bisphosphonates between January 1980 and October 1992. A median survival of 4.5 months was found. In a multivariate analysis, four independent prognostic factors for survival have been found: the interval between first relapse and hypercalcemia, sites of metastases at the moment of hypercalcemia, primary treatment, and the level of serum alkaline phosphatase. Patients with a "flare" reaction on tamoxifen treatment and patients with a normal serum alkaline phosphatase level and bone metastases only had a prolonged survival. Hypercalcemia associated with visceral metastases carried a very poor prognosis. The level of serum calcium in this series of patients was no prognostic indicator for survival.