Albumin-Adjusted Serum Calcium Levels Higher with Tumor Malignancy

the Cancer Therapy Advisor take:

Albumin-adjusted serum calcium was reported to be significantly greater in women with malignant tumors, according to an article published online in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Participants in this study included 514 women who underwent resection at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (July 2009-June 2013) for pelvic masses. The patients were divided into a “training” set and a “testing” set (to identify data associations and to provide confirmation of these associations, respectively).

Results showed women with malignant masses had significantly greater levels of albumin-adjusted serum calcium levels compared to those with benign masses (P=0.0004).

High normocalcemia (ie, an albumin-adjusted serum calcium ≥10 mg/dL) was reported in 53% of women with malignant tumors compared with 12% in those with benign tumors. Furthermore, the high normocalcemia correlated to an increased risk of malignancy of approximately 14-fold.

The study suggests serum albumin and calcium could be an economic and sensitive method to predict malignancy of tumors in women with pelvic masses.