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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy associated with ameloblastoma in a horse.

Journal:
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
Year:
1994
Authors:
Rosol, T J et al.
Affiliation:
Department of Pathobiology · United States
Species:
horse

Plain-English summary

A horse was diagnosed with a type of cancer called ameloblastoma, which was affecting its lower jaw and causing high levels of calcium in the blood due to the tumor's production of a specific protein. After the tumor was surgically removed, the horse's calcium and parathyroid hormone levels quickly returned to normal. This case shows that horses can develop high blood calcium levels from certain tumors, even though it's not very common. The treatment was successful, and the horse's health improved after surgery.

Abstract

Humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy was evident in a horse that had a locally invasive ameloblastoma of the left hemimandible. Surgical removal of the neoplasm resulted in prompt return of serum calcium and parathyroid hormone concentrations to within reference limits. The tumor contained parathyroid hormone-related protein, as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. It is likely that production of this protein by the neoplasm was important in the pathogenesis of the hypercalcemia. The case represented a sporadic form of humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy attributable to an uncommon epithelial neoplasm, and indicated that humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy can develop with neoplasms in horses.

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Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8077139/