INTRATHYROIDAL PARATHYROID CANCER PRESENTING AS A LEFT NECK MASS

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare clinical entity with a reported incide nce of between 0.5% and 4% of all patients with primary hyperparathyro idism. Equally as unusual is the presence of an intrathyroidal parathy roid gland, which is usually found at the time of exploration by exclu sion after extensive dissection has been performed in the usual anatom ic locations for the parathyroid glands. This is the description of a case of intrathyroidal parathyroid cancer that presented as primary hy perparathyroidism with a left neck mass. On exploration, an enlarged l eft lobe of the thyroid was present and no left superior pole parathyr oid gland was found with exploration. A left thyroid lobectomy was per formed that confirmed a parathyroid cancer that was entirely intrathyr oidal. This is the first known reported case in the literature of a ca rcinoma arising within the thyroid gland.