Clinical, laboratory and instrumental methods of pre-surgical diagnosis of the parathyroid glands cancer

Abstract

Backgraund. When defining symptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), differential diagnosis between a benign and malignant neoplasm of parathyroid glands (PG) may be challenging. The diagnosis of carcinoma or a benign tumor determines the extent of the surgical intervention and further observation tactics. Aims. The purpose of the study is to determine the clinical and laboratory and instrumental predictors of PG cancer. Materials and methods. A retrospective study included 385 patients with PHPT (273 with adenomas of the PG, 66 with hyperplasia, and 19 patients with cancer of the PG), who had been examined and operated from 2000 to 2014. The primary goal of the study was to define the level of ionized calcium (Ca++), parathyroid hormone (PTH), and the volume of the tumor PG specific for cancer of the PG. The level of parathyroid hormone (PTH) was determined by electrochemoluminescent method on the Roche analyzer Cobas 6000; ionized calcium (Ca++) ion-selective method. The size of the PG was determined by the ellipse formula: V(cm3) = (A B C) 0.49 by ultrasound investigation using the Valuson E8 device from General Electric. Results. The group of patients with PG carcinoma showed the increased level of Ca++ of more than 1.60 mmol/l (p = 0.004) and increased level of PTH of more than 600 pg/ml (p = 0.03). The size of tumors of more than 6 cm3 is more typical to malignant neoplasm compared to the adenoma of the PG (p = 0.01). Conclusions. The group of patients with PHPT that are at risk of having PG carcinoma include individuals that have a combination of the following indicators: PTH levels of more than 600 pg/ml, an increase in ionized calcium of more than 1.60 mmol/l, the tumor size of more than 6 cm3.

Keywords

• primary hyperparathyroidism
• parathyroid gland cancer
• cancer predictors of parathyroid glands