HUMORAL HYPERCALCEMIA IN RENAL-CARCINOMA DUE TO PARATHYROID-HORMONE RELATED PROTEIN

Parathyroid hormone related protein (PTHRP) has been implicated in hum oral hypercalcaemia of malignancy (HHM). We describe a patient with a renal carcinoma and hypercalcaemia, and for the first time have demons trated a 4-fold PTHRP concentration gradient across a renal tumour bed . This provides further strong evidence that the primary tumour was th e source of the PTHRP. The PTHRP 1-86 content of the tumour tissue was 4.8 ng/g, similar to that previously found in tumours associated with HHM. In PTHRP-secreting tumours, PTHRP may be a useful oncological ma rker after surgical resection.