Hypercalcemia
What is hypercalcemia of malignancy?
If you have hypercalcemia, the calcium level in your blood is too high. High blood calcium levels can weaken your bones, cause kidney stones, and affect how your heart and brain work.
Hypercalcemia can be caused by a number of factors, including cancer.
Doctors call hypercalcemia in people diagnosed with cancer hypercalcemia of malignancy.
Doctors estimate that hypercalcemia affects from 2% to 30% of people diagnosed with cancer. The condition is most common in people diagnosed with:
breast cancer
lung cancer
kidney cancer (renal cancer)
multiple myeloma (a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell)
Among people diagnosed with breast cancer, hypercalcemia often is seen in people with multiple areas of bone metastases, meaning the cancer has spread to a number of places in the bones. Still, some people without bone metastases also have hypercalcemia. This is because the breast cancer causes the immune system to secrete proteins that make certain bone cells called osteoclasts more active. Osteoclasts break down bone tissue, an important function in the life cycle of bones. Destruction of bone tissue can increase blood calcium levels.
Hypercalcemia symptoms
Symptoms of hypercalcemia can include:
excessive thirst and urination, which can be a sign of kidney problems
Hypercalcemia treatment
In 2022, the Endocrine Society, an international medical organization, released the first guidelines on treating hypercalcemia in people diagnosed with cancer.
Medicines used to treat hypercalcemia include:
an intravenous bisphosphonate, such as zoledronic acid (brand names: Zometa or Reclast) or pamidronate (brand name: Aredia)
intravenous denosumab (brand names: Xgeva)
calcitonin, a hormone made by your thyroid gland that is also found in salmon; the medicine is also called calcitonin salmon and is given as an injection under the skin or into a muscle
Your doctor also may recommend you:
drink more water
stop taking or lower your dose of antacid tablets
stop taking any calcium supplements and supplements that contain calcium, such as multivitamins
— Last updated on May 13, 2025 at 1:28 PM