Elevated Blood Calcium Level

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Puggymom
Puggymom Member Posts: 4
edited November 2021 in Bone Health and Bone Loss

Ok, you know the look of gloom when your doctor enters the exam room? Well I got that today. Elevated calcium level showing signs of bone metastasis, elevated ALT so I’m getting a CT scan next week for possible liver and lung mets. Has anyone received a similar blood test result and gone down that path? I’ve been NED for the last 7 years after Stage III so I’m terrified.

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  • HomeMom
    HomeMom Member Posts: 1,198
    edited November 2021

    Hi Puggymom. I don't have an answer, but if I were you, I'd post in the bone mets thread or the the stage IV mets thread where people not diagnosed, but worried can ask questions. They are very helpful!

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  • SeeQ
    SeeQ Member Posts: 884
    edited November 2021

    Puggymom - my ALT, AST, ALP were up and down for about a year before my PCM sent me for imaging - no history of cancer before that. My point is that a single elevated reading is not necessarily alarming (you didn't mention how elevated).

    High calcium can also be caused by a benign tumor on a parathyroid gland (not the same as thyroid). My MO watched my consistently high calcium for almost a year before testing my parathyroid hormone (PTh) and referring me to an endocrinologist. A simple outpatient surgery corrected that problem. There's 1 or 2 threads on BCO about it (search 'parathyroid'). The place I went to for the surgery has a very informative website: parathyroid.com

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  • ThreeTree
    ThreeTree Member Posts: 709
    edited November 2021

    I think I read somewhere that high blood calcium levels can also be related to calcium and vitamin D levels. Don't remember if it was about too much or not enough of one of those, but again, another cause that would be easily taken care of.

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited November 2021

    puggymom - as mentioned above, high calcium can also be related to your parathyroid. Has your oncologist also tested your Vitamin D level, and your PTH (parathyroid hormone) level? High calcium and low Vit D almost always means that your parathyroid has issues. The ALT can be high as an anomaly, or due to a number of reasons, including fatty liver, medication side effect, inflammation, hypothyroid, etc. Having both elevated calcium and ALT does not universally mean they are from a common cause. Hoping you have definitive answers soon, the waiting is hard, wishing you the best.

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  • Puggymom
    Puggymom Member Posts: 4
    edited November 2021

    This is a new oncologist for me since I moved from Utah to South Carolina. I’ve been on an annual review and my previous dr sent all prior cancer history. Last blood panel was done September 2020 and then this blood panel yesterday. In the discussion with new dr, he indicated my Vit D was normal but didn’t mention pht test. He indicated tumor markers were elevated but needed to see a second test for activity. ALT was in a range that was indicative of cancer inflammation. I mentioned fatty liver but he said not really as that would be in a lower range. I guess that is why I’ve been sent for barium contrast liver scan as well as lungs because of coughing and mild pain. I’ve had both triple negative and hormone receptor tumors, both breasts and plenty of lymph node involvement. I guess having been NED for all these years is a blessing as he indicated I’m not typical.

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