Management Of Parathyroid Carcinoma Research Articles

Parathyroid Carcinoma Presenting as Recurrent Primary Hyperparathyroidism and Neck Mass: A Case Report.

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare endocrine neoplasm that accounts for <1% of cases of primary hyperparathyroidism. The management of parathyroid carcinoma is a challenge due to the high rate of local recurrence of the tumour. We report the case of a middle-aged north Indian woman who presented with recurrent primary hyperparathyroidism due to parathyroid carcinoma. She presented with a recurrent palpable hard neck mass and underwent radical dissection of the neck six times. At the time of writing this report, she was referred for external beam radiotherapy to the neck. Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare malignancy with an indolent but tenacious course. Complete resection at the time of initial surgery determines the prognosis of the neoplasm. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are usually ineffective. Hypercalcaemia needs to be aggressively managed. A multidisciplinary team is required to effectively manage parathyroid carcinoma.

Update on the medical management of parathyroid carcinoma

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare endocrine malignancy with an increasing rate of incidence. Most parathyroid carcinoma patients will develop local recurrence or metastases leading to poor prognosis. Medical management is the mainstay of treatment for patients with unresectable parathyroid carcinoma. However, the therapeutic outcome of medical management remains unsatisfactory restricted by limited options and efficacy. With the deepening of research, several novel drugs have been reported to be applied in the treatment of parathyroid carcinoma. Calcimimetics and receptor activator for nuclear factor-κB ligand inhibitors aiming to control hypercalcemia have been applied in the endocrine therapy of parathyroid carcinoma. Besides, preliminary studies have shown the therapeutic effects of targeted therapy and immunotherapy on parathyroid carcinoma. These new drugs have shed light on this clinical dilemma; however, their clinical efficacy remains to be determined. In this article, the recent progress in the medical management of parathyroid carcinoma is updated.

Contemporary Evaluation and Management of Parathyroid Carcinoma.

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare malignancy, representing 0.005% of all cancers and 0.5%-1% of all parathyroid disorders. Parathyroid carcinoma occurs equally in males and females, as opposed to primary hyperparathyroidism, which has a female predominance. Patients with parathyroid carcinoma present with symptoms of hypercalcemia, similar to those with benign primary hyperparathyroidism. Parathyroid carcinoma should be suspected when calcium or parathyroid hormone levels are high. Because of the difficulty of discerning parathyroid carcinoma from adenoma preoperatively, the diagnosis of carcinoma is often made only after parathyroidectomy. The goals of surgery are resection with negative margins because surgery represents the only opportunity for cure. Adjuvant therapy with chemotherapy or external beam radiation has not been proven to affect disease-free or overall survival for these patients. Recurrence is common, with reoperation recommended for resectable recurrent disease. Palliation with calcimimetic pharmacotherapy can aid with management of symptomatic hypercalcemia in recurrent or persistent disease after parathyroidectomy. Ultimately, patients succumb to sequelae of hypercalcemia rather than tumor burden.

Brown Tumors Secondary to Parathyroid Carcinoma Masquerading as Skeletal Metastases on 18F-FDG PET/CT: A Case Report

Brown tumors develop as skeletal manifestations of hyperparathyroidism. Increased osteoclast activity leads to accumulation of highly active giant cells and to excess cortical bone resorption, producing fibrous cysts. Though most often reported in patients with parathyroid adenomas, brown tumors secondary to parathyroid carcinoma create a clinical dilemma. Increased signal uptake on 2-deoxy-2-(fluorine-18)fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET)/computed tomography (CT) seen within brown tumors may be indistinguishable from bone metastases. We report a case of parathyroid carcinoma in a 38-year-old man presenting with osteolytic bone lesions on 18F-FDG PET/CT that were diagnosed as brown tumors by biopsy. We describe the patient history, presentation, diagnostic studies, and treatment. We report a case of a 38-year-old man diagnosed with parathyroid carcinoma with associated hypercalcemia and elevated parathyroid hormone levels who had undergone 3 surgical resections for local recurrences and had persistent hypercalcemia. He was found to have multiple osteolytic lesions throughout his skeleton on 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging 2 months after diagnosis. Biopsy of a right scapula lesion confirmed a brown tumor. The role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in management of parathyroid carcinoma has not been systematically evaluated. Skeletal manifestations of parathyroid carcinoma may be present in this imaging modality. Clinicians should consider the possibility of brown tumors in patients with parathyroid carcinoma who undergo 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging.

Abstract #522: Extremes in Hyperparathyroidism: Management of Parathyroid Carcinoma

Abstract #522: Extremes in Hyperparathyroidism: Management of Parathyroid Carcinoma

Current Understanding and Management of Parathyroid Carcinoma

Parathyroid adenomas are a very common endocrine entity, whereas parathyroid carcinomas (PC) are extremely rare. With an estimated incidence of 0.015 per 100,000 population and an estimated prevalence of 0.005% in the United States, parathyroid cancer is one of the rarest of all human malignancies. PC is an extremely rare cause of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Men and women are equally affected, usually in the fourth or fifth decade of life. The exact etiology has not been identified, but mutations in the CDC73 gene appear to have a critical role in its pathogenesis. The morbidity and mortality of PC is secondary to the hypercalcemia resulting from tumor overproduction of PTH. The primary management objectives are complete removal of the cancer and prevention of recurrences. This review will talk about the epidemiology, etiology, clinical manifestations, and management of PC.

Surgical management of parathyroid carcinoma

Cancer of the parathyroid glands is an exceedingly rare endocrine malignancy representing a very uncommon cause of primary hyperparathyroidism. It is characterized by markedly increased serum calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels far in excess of those exhibited by benign parathyroid disease. Diagnosis is made by histopathology, which may be problematic before initiating treatment for hyperparathyroidism. Because of its rarity, both staging classification and prognostic factors have been difficult to define and less useful in predicting the course of disease and treatment outcomes. Effective management involves comprehensive surgical resection, which offers the best opportunity for cure. Both radiotherapy and chemotherapy are largely ineffective modalities for treatment. Recurrent disease is generally incurable; however, repeat surgery and medical management of tumor-induced hypercalcemia may provide intermediate-term palliation.

Parathyroid Carcinoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Primary hyperparathyroidism is the most frequent cause of asymptomatic hypercalcaemia in ambulatory patients (1). Parathyroid carcinoma (PCA) accounts for 5% of all the cases of primary and it has a variable prognosis (2). There is no published literature in the West Indies regarding the management of parathyroid carcinoma and this is the fourth case seen in our department of surgery for over 40 years. This report highlights an interesting presentation of parathyroid carcinoma and aims to review the current diagnosis and treatment of this disease entity.

Extremes in hyperparathyroidism: management of parathyroid carcinoma

Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)

Parathyroid carcinoma survival: improvements in the era of intact parathyroid hormone monitoring?

The intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) assay is a critical test in the diagnosis and management of PTH-mediated hypercalcemia, including parathyroid carcinoma (PCa). We hypothesized that the survival of patients diagnosed with PCa has improved since adoption of the iPTH assay into clinical practice. We identified all confirmed cases of PCa within the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database from 1973 to 2006. Patients were categorized into two eras based upon introduction of the iPTH assay: 1973 to 1997 (era I) and 1997 to 2006 (era II, when the iPTH assay was in standard use). We estimated overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) using the Kaplan-Meier method, with differences among survival curves assessed via log rank. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models compared the survival rates between treatment eras while controlling for patient age, sex, race/ethnicity, tumor size, nodal status, extent of disease, and type of surgery. Multivariate models included patients undergoing potentially curative surgery and excluded those with distant metastases. Risks of overall and disease-specific mortality were reported as hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Study criteria were met by 370 patients. Median survival was 15.6 years. Five-year rates of OS and DSS were 78% and 88% for era I and 82% and 96% for era II. On multivariate analysis, age, black race, and unknown extent of disease predicted an increased risk of death from any cause. Treatment era did not predict OS. No factor predicted PCa-specific mortality. In multivariate analysis, neither OS nor DSS have improved in the current era that utilizes iPTH for the detection and management of PCa.

Challenges and Pitfalls in the Management of Parathyroid Carcinoma: 17-Year Follow-Up of a Case and Review of the Literature

A 29-year-old man presented to his primary care physician with nausea, severe weight loss and muscle weakness. He had a hard, fixed neck swelling. He was severely hypercalcaemic with 10-fold increased parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations. A diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism was established and the patient was referred for parathyroidectomy. At neck exploration, an enlarged parathyroid gland with invasive growth into the thyroid gland was found and removed, lymph nodes were cleared and hemithyroidectomy was performed. A suspected diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma was confirmed histologically. Serum calcium and PTH levels normalised post-operatively, but hyperparathyroidism recurred within 3 years of surgery. Over the following 17 years, control of hypercalcaemia represented the most difficult challenge despite variable success achieved with repeated surgical interventions, embolisations, radiofrequency ablation of metastases and treatment with calcimimetics, bisphosphonates and haemodialysis using low-dialysate calcium. In this paper, we report the challenges and pitfalls we encountered in the management of our patient over nearly two decades of follow-up and review recent literature on the topic.

R408 – Management of the Parathyroid Carcinoma

Problem Management of parathyroid carcinoma. Methods 2 cases of parathyroid carcinoma managed in Brest Hospital, Ear, Nose and Throat Service (France). Results Through a review of the literature we discuss the initial surgical treatment for this rare tumor, which has a strong potential of local recurrence or metastasis (fifty percent). Conclusion The treatment of the parathyroid carcinoma is surgical. It requires a total ablation of the parathyroid tumor, of the homolateral thyroid lobe, of the homolateral recurrent nodular tissues and of sticking tissues. Significance A large ablation is required.

Parathyroid carcinoma

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare malignancy affecting 0.5-5 per cent of all patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. This article reviews the literature on the pathogenesis, pathology, clinical features, diagnosis and management of parathyroid carcinoma. A Medline search was performed and all relevant English language articles published between 1970 and 2005 were retrieved. The search words included 'parathyroid carcinoma', 'pathology', 'genetics', 'management' and 'radiotherapy'. Secondary references were obtained from key articles. The exact aetiology of parathyroid carcinoma remains obscure. Recently, the HRPT2 gene has been implicated in its pathogenesis and may prove to be a genetic target in future. Surgical resection is the accepted 'gold standard'. There is now a growing consensus on the use of adjuvant radiotherapy as it has been shown to provide a survival benefit.

Huge parathyroid carcinoma: Clinical considerations and literature review

BackgroundParathyroid carcinoma is a rare malignancy, with an incidence of 0.5 to 4% of all cases of primary hyperparathyroidism. Surgery is the only curative treatment.Case presentationWe report the case of a 66-year-old man referred for a large suspicious substernal goitre associated with severe hypercalcemia due to hyperparathyroidism. After normalization of serum calcium levels, patient underwent surgery. The voluminous cervicomediastinal firm mass could not be removed through the cervical incision; therefore a cervicothoracic approach was employed. Histopathology revealed a giant parathyroid cancer of 450 grams. A review of the literature was also undertaken to summarize the current treatment approaches for this rare malignancy.ConclusionParathyroid cancer is usually not recognized either preoperatively or intra-operatively. En bloc resection of the tumour with the adjacent tissue is the treatment of choice and it is very important to avoid the rupture of the capsule during operation. Neither tumour size, nor the lymph node status appears to play a role in prognosis. The management of parathyroid carcinoma is a challenge even for experienced surgeons.

The management of parathyroid carcinoma

To summarize the current treatment approaches to parathyroid malignancy. Recent advances in molecular biology are aiding the understanding of the pathogenesis of this condition, and imaging modalities are contributing to localization of the abnormal parathyroid tissue. The treatment of parathyroid malignancy is overwhelmingly surgical, comprising an initial en bloc resection of the tumor and adjacent structures. The risk of tumor recurrence is high and may require several metastasis resections in order to control symptoms of hypercalcemia.