Effectiveness of salmon calcitonin administered as suppositories in tumor-induced hypercalcemia

Although calcitonin is a natural, nontoxic, and rapid inhibitor of bone resorption, its use in the treatment of hypercalcemia is limited because of its transient efficacy and the need for repeated parenteral administration. In normal subjects, suppositories of calcitonin have been shown to be biologically active. Peak plasma concentrations of salmon calcitonin after rectal administration in six normal subjects were similar to those measured after parenteral administration. To evaluate the efficacy of calcitonin suppositories in disease states, 10 patients with moderate hypercalcemia due to malignancy were treated with salmon calcitonin, administered as suppositories containing 300 MRC units, three times a day for seven days. The mean plasma calcium level decreased significantly from 2.96 ± 0.09 mmol/liter to 2.57 ± 0.09 after one week (p