Parathyroid carcinoma

The following summary is from Orphanet, a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs.

Parathyroid carcinoma (PRTC) is a very rare, slow-growing, clinically serious endocrine tumor that generally develops in mid-adulthood. PRTC presents as a palpable painless mass in the neck and causes severe hypercalcemia and related symptoms, non-specific gastrointestinal manifestations, as well as renal and bone complications related to primary hyperparathyroidism (nephrolithiasis, impaired renal function, osteoporosis, bone pain, and pathologic fractures, etc.). Some PRTCs are however non-functioning tumors.

Visit the Orphanet disease page for more resources.

Last updated: 10/1/2016

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

FDA-Approved Treatments

The medication(s) listed below have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as orphan products for treatment of this condition. Learn more orphan products.

• Cinacalcet (Brand name: Sensipar) - Manufactured by Amgen, Inc.
  FDA-approved indication: Treatment of hypercalcemia in patients with parathyroid carcinoma.
  National Library of Medicine Drug Information Portal
  Medline Plus Health Information

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.