Hypocalcemic and normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism in patients with advanced prostatic cancer

Abstract

PTH and ionized calcium levels were measured in 131 patients with advanced prostate cancer, all of whom had received at least first-line hormone therapy. Patients were classified into those in remission, those with stable disease, or those with progressive disease according to their prostate-specific antigen response and their clinical status. Thirty-four percent of all patients had PTH levels above the upper level of normal for controls of similar age (7.0 pmol/ liter), and in 44% of these patients this was associated with a normal ionized calcium. Patients with proven bone metastases had significantly higher PTH levels than those without. (7.3 ± 0.5 vs. 4.3 ± 0.4 pmol/liter, P < 0.0005). T..