Current World Literature

Abstract

Hypercalcaemia should and must be considered in all patients who have or possibly have a diagnosis of a head and neck cancer and who present unwell with symptoms of fatigue, lethargy and somnolence. Investigation must include serum calcium (corrected for serum albumin binding) and parathyroid hormone level. Patients may be treated by a combination of rehydration and bisulphonate therapy until the serum calcium is reduced to a level below 3 mmol/l. The majority of patients diagnosed with hypercalcaemia due to head and neck malignancy die of their diseases in the short term, but some may enjoy a prolongation of life with reasonable quality if diagnosed and treated aggressively.

Cancer-associated hypercalcaemia in squamous-cell malignancies: a survival and prognostic factor analysis

“…The median overall survival of the entire cohort was 64 days (range 1-197 days). In the univariate analysis, six variables had a significant negative impact on survival: presence of bone or brain metastasis, a moderate or severe hypercalcaemia, hypoalbuminaemia, anaemia and lymphocyte count > 1000/mm 3 (Tables 1 and 2). Only three variables were identified as independent poor prognostic factors: the presence of brain metastasis (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.58 CI (1.03-6.45), adjusted calcaemia !…”

“…In the authors' series, the prognostic factors of adverse outcome were: serum albumin-corrected calcium > 2.83 mmol/l, hypoalbuminaemia, presence of liver metastasis and squamous cell carcinoma 12 . CAH is frequently diagnosed in different squamous cell primary sites whether or not associated with leucocytosis in the hypercalcaemia-leucocytosis syndrome [3][4][5][6][7][8][9]16,17 .…”

Prevalence of hypercalcemia among cancer patients in the United States

“…Symptoms of HCM are not specific and may involve renal (polyuria, dehydration, renal failure), gastrointestinal (polydipsia, anorexia, nausea and/or vomit, constipation), central nervous (fatigue, confusion, delirium, cognitive impairment, depression, ataxia, muscle weakness, psychotic attitudes, coma), and cardiovascular systems (hypertension, bradycardia, electrocardiogram (ECG) alterations, and orthostatic hypotension) 6, 7, although symptom severity has been correlated with serum calcium levels 8, 9.…”

High-dose proton beam therapy for sinonasal mucosal malignant melanoma

“…Its prognosis is much worse than that of cutaneous malignant melanoma; the overall 5-year survival rate of patients with SMM is reported to be 34% [2] whereas that of patients with head and neck cutaneous melanoma is reported to be 80% [3]. Surgery has been the main option for eradicating the disease [4-6]. However, in a review of cases from a high-volume cancer center in North America, recurrence of the primary disease was observed in 50% of cases [7-9].…”