Parathyroid Carcinoma

Purpose: Most cases of primary hyperparathyroidism are due to parathyroid adenoma or parathyroid hyperplasia. Parathyroid carcinoma is a very rare cause of hyperparathyroidism. Although the diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma is usually established by pathologic criteria especially of vascular or capsular invasion, some clinical and biochemical features differentiate it from benign forms of hyperparathyroidism. We under-took a retrospective study in 6 patients with parathyroid carcinoma, with the aim of conveying experience from management for this rare cause of hyperparathyroidism. Methods: Clinical symptoms, biochemical laboratory, radiologic, and intraoperative findings, local recurrence and distant metastasis were analyzed in 6 patients diagnosed pathologically as a parathyroid carcinoma after operation from 1992 to 2001. Results: Mean age was 50.2 years (33.0-60.0 years) and male to female ratio was 1:1. Neck mass was found in 5 patients, multiple bone pain in 3 patients and renal stone in 1 patient. One case has suffered from chronic renal failure for 19 years. Although preoperative laboratory evaluations showed the aspects of hyperparathyroidism in all cases, mean serum calcium level was 11.2mg/dl(10.5-12.1mg/dl), slightly elevated. Laboratory values after surgery were within the normal range in 5 cases. However, in one case with chronic renal failure, serum PTH levels, serially checked, were above the normal range. Any of imaging methods failed to suggest a parathyroid carcinoma preoperatively. Parathyroid adenoma was suspected in 3 cases, thyroid cancer in the other cases before surgery. The extent of resection was radical resection of parathyroid lesion with more than unilateral thyroid lobectomy and central compartment neck node dissection and in 2 cases, the resection of recurrent laryngeal nerve or strap muscles was added. During follow-up period, any local or systemic recurrence were not evident in all the cases. Conclusion: Although parathyroid carcinoma is a rare disease and its preoperative diagnosis, in our experience, could not easily be made, the understanding of characteristic clinical and biochemical feature could help diagnosis at first surgery. Radical resection without remaining residual tumor is most important for the management of the parathyroid cancer.ope