Parathyroid  Parathyroid Cancer
Parathyroid cancer is a rare disorder accounting for fewer than 1% of primary hyperparathyroidism cases. Cancer is often detected during reoperative procedures for recurrent hypercalcemia (high blood calcium levels).
Symptoms
Patients with parathyroid cancer typically have the same symptoms and manifestations of elevated calcium levels as described in hyperparathyroid patients, including:
- Loss of appetite
- Thirst
- Frequent urination
- Fatigue
- Muscle weakness
- Joint pain
- Constipation
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dyspepsia (indigestion)
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- Abdominal pain
- Trouble with concentration and/or memory loss
- Depression
- Significantly elevated calcium levels
- Severe bone disease
- Severe kidney disease, multiple stones
- Hard lymph nodes or lump in the neck
- Difficulty swallowing or breathing
- Hoarseness
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Diagnosis
Parathyroid cancer is often indicated during initial surgical procedure for hyperparathyroidism when a hard mass is found with invasion into surrounding structures or lymph nodes. A biopsy of the mass confirms the diagnosis.
Treatment
Surgery remains the only effective treatment for parathyroid cancer. Partial removal of the lymph glands and a portion of the thyroid gland offers the best chance for a cure. However, once cancer has spread beyond the neck, surgery is no longer a treatment option. At this point, radiation therapy and medical therapy are the most common options.
Researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center are currently testing the best available therapeutics for this form of cancer and making them accessible to eligible patients.
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