Hypercalcaemia is easily the most common metabolic disorder associated with cancer, occurring in 10 to 20 percent of individuals with cancer. While its link with cancer is well known, this research has, the very first time, shown that often it can predate detecting cancer in primary care.
A simple blood test could identify those with hypercalcaemia, prompting doctors to research further.
The research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, analyzed the electronic records of 54,000 patients who had elevated amounts of calcium and checked out what percentage of them continued to receive a cancer diagnosis.
Dr. Fergus Hamilton, who led the study from the Center for Academic Primary Care at the University of Bristol, said: “All previous studies on hypercalcaemia and cancer had been through with patients who had already been diagnosed with cancer hypercalcaemia was seen as an late effect of the cancer.
“We wanted to consider the issue from the different perspective and discover if high calcium levels in blood might be used as an early indicator of cancer and therefore in the proper diagnosis of cancer.”
Research into the data from 54,000 patients discovered that in males, even mild hypercalcaemia (2.6C2.8?mmol?l?1) conferred a danger of cancer in a single year of 11.Five percent. When the calcium was above 2.8?mmol?l?1, the risk increased to 28 percent. In women, the potential risks were much less, with the corresponding figures being 4.1 % and eight.7 percent.
In males, 81 percent from the cancer associated with hypercalcaemia was brought on by lung, prostate, myeloma, colorectal and other haematological cancers. In women, cancer was much less common.
Dr. Hamilton added: “We were surprised by the gender difference. There are a number of possible explanations for this but we believe it may be because women are much more prone to have hyperparathyroidism, another reason for hypercalcaemia. Men rarely understand this condition, so their hypercalcaemia is much more apt to be because of cancer.”
The research is part of the Discovery Program, which aims to change detecting cancer and stop countless unnecessary deaths each year. Together with NHS trusts and six Universities, a group of the UK’s leading researchers into primary care cancer diagnostics are working together inside a five-year program.
If successful, the program should transform detecting cancer and stop countless unnecessary deaths every year. The program objectives will be to design and test cool product pathways to cancer diagnosis which are based on sound medical evidence, make efficient use of resources to consider full account of patient views.
