Parathyroid Carcinoma: Case Series and Literature Review

Background: Parathyroid carcinoma (PC) is an extremely rare tumor with estimated prevalence of about 0.005% of all cancer cases. There is no established etiology for parathyroid carcinoma; with both environmental and genetic factors may be contributing. The majority of the cases present with manifestations of hypercalcemia, with the diagnosis made only after surgery.

Methods: We represent three cases of parathyroid carcinoma who were operated in our surgical department. We retrospectively collected the clinical data associated with the course of presentation, investigations and management of the three patients. We followed-up the three patients for five years post-operatively.

Case Reports: Two patients were males (53 years of age) and one female (23 years of age). They all presented with clinical manifestations of hypercalcemia. Ultrasonography and MIBI scans were utilized to localize the tumor but could not differentiate between benign and malignant glands. Malignancy was confirmed only after surgery. No recurrence was detected in five years of follow-up.

Conclusion: The diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma is usually challenging with no single test could differentiate benign from malignant tumors. Because of the rarity of the disease, more future studies would be required to expand our knowledge regarding the underlying genetic causes which would help to design accurate and reliable diagnostic and therapeutic tools.