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Parathyroid cancer - Symptom

Alternative Names

Parathyroid carcinoma

Symptoms:

Symptoms of parathyroid cancer are primarily caused by high levels of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia), and may affect various parts of the body. They include:

Bone pain
Constipation
Fatigue
Fractures
Frequent thirst
Frequent urination
Kidney stones
Muscle weakness
Nausea
Poor appetite
Vomiting

It is important to note that only about 1 out of 200 people with primary hyperparathyroidism have parathyroid cancer.

Signs and tests:

Parathyroid cancer is extremely hard to diagnose.

Your doctor will perform a physical exam and ask about your medical history.

In about half of all cases, feeling the neck with the hands (palpation) can reveal a cancerous parathyroid tumor.

Cancerous parathyroid tumors tend to produce very high amounts of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Tests may include:

Blood calcium (levels higher than 14 mg/dL are suspicious)
Blood PTH (levels that are more than twice than normal may indicate cancer)

Before surgery, you will undergo a special radioactive scan of the parathyroid glands. The scan is called the sestamibi scan. You may also have a neck ultrasound. These tests are done to confirm which parathyroid gland is abnormal.

Reviewed last on: 3/2/2010
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Bringhurst R, Demay MB, Kronenberg HM. Hormones and disorders of mineral metabolism. In: Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 27.

Wysolmerski JJ, Insogna KL. The parathyroid glands, hypercalcemia, and hypocalcemia. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 266.

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