Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare malignancy, accounting for less than 1% of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. The hyperparathyroidism is usually more severe than that seen in benign disease. This case highlights a diagnostic challenge due to the absence of reliable criteria for parathyroid carcinoma.

Rozhinskaya and colleagues describe the case of a 27-year-old woman whose initial misdiagnosis of a parathyroid carcinoma led to the development of multiple lung metastases. They further emphasise the importance of thorough histological examination using immunohistochemical staining of resected tissue in suspicious cases.

Initiation of sorafenib – a multi-kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of different types of cancer, but not for parathyroid carcinoma – led to a significant decrease in the size of the lung metastases. In addition, the authors report that treatment with sorafenib prevented the progression of hyperparathyroidism. They suggest that sorafenib may be a promising treatment for parathyroid carcinoma with distant metastases.

Read the full article in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Case Reports EDM160113