Effect of calcitonin and glutocorticoids in combination on the hypercalcemia of malignancy.

The effects of the combination of glucocorticoids and calcitonin on serum calcium levels were compared with the responses to calcitonin alone in 14 patients with malignant disease and hypercalcemia. The serum calcium concentrations of those patients treated with calcitonin alone returned to pretreatment concentrations within 48 hours, whereas those treated with the combination of calcitonin and glucocorticoids maintained the lower serum calcium concentrations for more than 4 days. These results suggest that the combination of calcitonin and glucocorticoids is a rapidly effective form of medical treatment for hypercalcemia and that glucocorticoids help to maintain the acute response to calcitonin in patients with hypercalcemia.