Differences in bone and vitamin D metabolism between primary hyperparathyroidism and malignancy-associated hypercalcemia

Abstract

Bone and vitamin D metabolism are examined in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (1 degree HPT), humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM), and local osteolytic hypercalcemia (LOH) with normal renal function. Among the bone resorption markers, T scores of total deoxypyridinoline (Dpyd) were highest in HHM and were significantly higher than those in 1 degree HPT. Among the formation markers, T scores of osteocalcin (OC) were highest in 1 degree HPT but were negative in HHM. The elevation in total Dpyd was associated with an increase in OC in 1 degree HPT, and the ratios of total Dpyd/OC were similar to those in controls. In contrast, many patients with HHM and LOH exhibited elevated total Dpyd and suppressed OC with increased total Dpyd/OC ratios, but the ratios varied widely. Serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] was elevated in 1 degrees HPT but was suppressed in HHM and LOH at any serum Ca levels. These results demonstrate that increased bone resorption is associated with enhanced bone formation in 1 degrees HPT but are uncoupled in many of the HHM and LOH patients, and that total Dpyd/OC ratio can be a useful index to estimate the coupling state of bone. It is suggested that the reduction in serum 1,25(OH)2D cannot be explained by an elevation in serum Ca in HHM and LOH, and that the differences in bone and vitamin D metabolism in HHM and LOH from those in 1 degree HPT may be caused by a common mechanism such as the secretion of some cytokines from tumors.