Parathyroid hormone-related protein
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Parathyroid hormone-related protein (or PTHrP) is a protein occasionally secreted by cancer cells (breast cancer, certain types of lung cancer). PTHrP is related in function to the "normal" parathyroid hormone. When a tumor secretes PTHrP, this can lead to hypercalcemia. As this is sometimes the first sign of the malignancy, hypercalcemia caused by PTHrP is considered a paraneoplastic phenomenon.