Abstract
Background. Parathyroid carcinoma is rare and accounts for approximately 1% of patients with hyperparathyroidism. It is a slowly progressive disease with frequent recurrence and high incidence of local metastasis. Because of the rarity of this tumor, little is known about the pattern of lymph node metastasis. Methods. A case of retropharyngeal lymph node metastasis found 2 years after initial diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma is presented and discussed. Results. A 67-year-old man initially was seen with asymptomatic hypercalcemia, and a 1.7-cm mass was removed along with the left hemithyroid. The mass was found to be parathyroid carcinoma. Serum calcium was again elevated 1 year later, and left neck lymph node dissection revealed an upper jugular lymph node containing parathyroid carcinoma. The patient continued to have an elevated serum calcium level, and a retropharyngeal lymph node was found by MRI and removed the following year. The patient is now without evidence of hyperparathyroidism of or recurrent disease at 2-year follow-up. Conclusions. Persistent parathyroid carcinoma is often a clinical challenge because of the difficulty in localizing recurrent tumor. Retropharyngeal lymph nodes should be considered as a possible site of metastasis in patients with parathyroid carcinoma.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 968-971 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Head and Neck |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2003 |
Keywords
- Carcinoma
- Lymph nodes
- Parathyroid
- Primary hyperparathyroidism
- Recurrence
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Otorhinolaryngology