The risk of cancer in primary care patients with hypercalcaemia: a cohort study using electronic records

✍ Scribed by Hamilton, F; Carroll, R; Hamilton, W; Salisbury, C

• Book ID: 126482909
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Year: 2014
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 99 KB
• Volume: 111
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0007-0920
• DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2014.433

✦ Synopsis

Background:

The risk of cancer with hypercalcaemia in primary care is unknown.

Methods:

This was a cohort study using calcium results in patients aged ⩾40 years in a primary care electronic data set. Diagnoses of cancer in the following year were identified.

Results:

Participants (54 267) had calcium results: 1674 (3%) were ⩾2.6 mmol l^−1^. Hypercalcaemia was strongly associated with cancer, especially in males: OR 2.92, 95% CI 2.17–3.93, P=<0.001; positive predictive value (PPV) 11.5% females: OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.39–2.50, P<0.001: PPV 4.1%.

Conclusions:

Hypercalcaemia is strongly associated with cancer in primary care, with men at most risk, despite hypercalcaemia being more common in women.