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Hypercalcemia (PDQ®): Supportive care - Patient Information [NCI]
Hypercalcemia occurs in 10%-20% of people with cancer, although it occurs much less often in children. The cancers most often associated with hypercalcemia are cancer of the breast and lung, as well as certain cancers of the blood, particularly multiple myeloma. Early diagnosis and treatment with fluids and drugs that lower calcium levels in the blood can improve symptoms in a few days, but diagnosis may be difficult. Symptoms of hypercalcemia can appear gradually and may resemble symptoms of many cancers and other diseases. Early diagnosis and treatment are not only lifesaving in the short term, but may also increase the patient's ability to complete cancer therapy and improve the patient's quality of life.
Patients who have advancedterminal cancer and are no longer receiving treatment for the cancer may choose not to be treated for hypercalcemia. This option should be considered by a patient and his or her family in advance, before symptoms of hypercalcemia occur.
Normal calcium regulation
Healthy people consume about the same amount of calcium in their diet as their bodies lose in urine, feces, and sweat. Hypercalcemia associated with cancer disrupts the body's ability to maintain a normal level of calcium.
Kidney function
Normal, healthy kidneys are able to filter large amounts of calcium from the blood, excrete the excess not needed by the body, and retain the amount of calcium the body does need. However, hypercalcemia may cause such high levels of calcium in the body that the kidneys are overworked and become unable to excrete the excess. Some tumors produce a substance that can cause the kidneys to excrete too little calcium. This results in a large amount of urine being produced, which then causes dehydration. Dehydration may lead to appetite loss, nausea, and vomiting, which make the dehydration worse. Inactivity caused by weakness and tiredness may increase the amount of calcium in the blood by increasing the amount of calcium that is absorbed from the bones. Calcium deposits may collect in the kidneys, causing permanent damage.
PDQ is a comprehensive cancer database available on NCI's Web site.
PDQ is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. Most of the information contained in PDQ is available online at NCI's Web site. PDQ is provided as a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health, the federal government's focal point for biomedical research.
PDQ contains cancer information summaries.
The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries are available in two versions. The health professional versions provide detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions provide current and accurate cancer information.
The PDQ cancer information summaries are developed by cancer experts and reviewed regularly.
Editorial Boards made up of experts in oncology and related specialties are responsible for writing and maintaining the cancer information summaries. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made as new information becomes available. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") indicates the time of the most recent change.
PDQ also contains information on clinical trials.
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one method of treating symptoms is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. Some patients have symptoms caused by cancer treatment or by the cancer itself. During supportive care clinical trials, information is collected about how well new ways to treat symptoms of cancer work. The trials also study side effects of treatment and problems that come up during or after treatment. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients who have symptoms related to cancer treatment may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
Listings of clinical trials are included in PDQ and are available online at NCI's Web site. Descriptions of the trials are available in health professional and patient versions. Many cancer doctors who take part in clinical trials are also listed in PDQ. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Last Revised: 2010-11-04
If you want to know more about cancer and how it is treated, or if you wish to know about clinical trials for your type of cancer, you can call the NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-422-6237, toll free. A trained information specialist can talk with you and answer your questions.
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
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