Malignancy-related Hypercalcemia Caused by Metameric Cutaneous Metastasis of Parathyroid Hormone-related Protein-producing Bladder Carcinoma with Squamous Cell Differentiation: An Autopsy Case of Cobb Syndrome

A 74-year-old woman was admitted with hypercalcemia and prolonged disturbance of consciousness. The left buttock to the anterior aspect of the left thigh was swollen and erythematous, with a collection of 1.0-cm large, firm, elastic nodules distributed in a zosteriform pattern in the L1-L4 region. Based on autopsy findings, a very rare case of Cobb syndrome was diagnosed due to a spinal vascular malformation at the Th12-L4 level and L5 vertebral hemangioma. Cobb syndrome-associated cutaneous metastasis extending along the same metamere was complicated by immunohistochemically proven parathyroid hormone-related protein-producing advanced bladder carcinoma in this case.

[Hypercalcemia - Diagnosis and Management]

Hypercalcemia - Diagnosis and Management Abstract. The diagnostic workup of hypercalcemia requires a thorough patient history, a focused clinical examination as well as a step-by-step laboratory diagnostic approach. In order to detect the exact aetiology of hypercalcemia an accurate measurement of serum calcium in correlation with the parathyroid hormone level is therefore essential. Primary hyperparathyroidism and malignancy-related hypercalcemia are responsible for about 90% of all hypercalcemia cases. Therefore, these two pathologies should always be considered in the diagnostic approach. The therapeutic procedure is based on the aetiology and severity of the hypercalcemia.