Parathyroid hormone-related peptide mediates hypercalcemia in an islet cell tumor of the pancreas.

Hypercalcemia occurring in a patient with an islet cell carcinoma of the pancreas suggests the diagnosis of Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type I and associated hyperparathyroidism. We describe a patient with an islet cell carcinoma and hypercalcemia in whom low concentrations of PTH, the absence of skeletal metastases, hypophosphatemia, and elevated nephrogenous cAMP alternatively suggested the syndrome of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. The peptide PTHrP was measured in the patient's serum during the course of therapy by an immunoradiometric assay directed toward the midportion of the molecule. Hypercalcemia was treated with an investigational aminobisphosphonate. The concentration of PTHrP[56-86] increased over time and fell after the patient received chemotherapy directed toward the islet cell tumor.