Surgical treatment of parathyroid carcinoma (Review)

Cancer of the parathyroid gland is rare and most patients suffer from hyper parathyroidism (HPT). Therefore it is often difficult to distinguish betwee n benign HPT and malignant disorders. Prognosis as well as therapeutic appr oaches are still limited. Surgical treatment should be considered the thera py of choice for primary and recurrent manifestation of parathyroid carcino ma. The initial operation includes en-bloc resection of the tumor and the i psilateral thyroid lobe. Surgery may cure some patients, but is often only palliative and aims to control hypercalcemia. In some patients hypercalcemi a may be refractory to repeated surgery and medical treatment can provide s hort- or middle-term effects.