Prognosis

• a WHO performance status grade 3 or 4
• visceral metastases
• bony metastases
• a late treatment stage

A poor functional status and metastases increase the risk of dying

Patient	Prognostic Factor	Outcome	CER	OR (95% CI)	NNF+ (95% CI)
breast cancer and first episode of hypercalcaemia a	WHO performance status grade 3 or 4 independent	death at 7.5 years	85%	4.12 (2.88 to 5.88)	9 (8 to 11)
	visceral metastases independent			4.06 (2.10 to 7.85)	9 (8 to 14)
	bony metastases independent			2.42 (1.24 to 4.73)	12 (9 to 39)
	late treatment stage independent			1.67 (1.23 to 2.27)	18 (13 to 41)