Parathyroid Carcinoma in a Young Patient with End-Stage Renal Disease: A Case Report from Oman

Abstract

Parathyroid carcinoma is an extremely rare malignancy, accounting for less <0.005% of all cancers and <1% of parathyroid disorders. Pre-operatively, it can be suspected from the tumor size, which usually exceeds 4cm, as well as a high parathyroid hormone (PTH). However, histopathological features confirm the diagnosis. The main objective of treatment is en block resection of the tumor, with excision of the ipsilateral thyroid. We describe a young female with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who got diagnosed with parathyroid carcinoma. Ultrasound (US) and Sestamibi scans were both suggestive of parathyroid adenoma. Post-operatively, histopathological diagnosis of the specimen revealed parathyroid carcinoma. We introduce this case that was initially suspected to be parathyroid adenoma until histopathological diagnosis revealed parathyroid carcinoma. Patients with ESRD and hypercalcemia with sky-high PTH may have the suspicion for parathyroid carcinoma masked as those lab results can commonly get attributed to the ESRD.