The parathyroid glands are internal glands located behind the thyroid gland, two at the bottom and two at the top, for a total of 4 glands. Each of these 4 glands is about 3 millimeters wide and 6 millimeters long and about 2 millimeters thick.
The function of the parathyroid gland in the body is to secrete a hormone called parathormone, which ensures the balance of calcium and phosphorus minerals in body tissues. Any disruption in the functioning of the parathyroid gland will affect the release of parathormone and this will disrupt the calcium-phosphorus balance in the body. An excess or deficiency of these minerals in the body can lead to disorders in bone, muscle, nerve and kidney tissues.
What is Parathyroid Cancer?
Most of the problems that occur in the parathyroid gland are caused by one or more parathyroid glands producing too much parathormone. This condition is called hyperparathyroidism and causes diseases such as mental disorders, ulcers, osteoporosis, pancreatitis and kidney stone formation. During excessive parathormone production, the parathyroid glandenlarges. This is called parathyroid adenomas. They are not malignant and can be considered benign tumors.
As with all other tissues in the human body, cancer can develop in the parathyroid gland tissue, but parathyroid cancer is extremely rare. In the case of Parathyroid Cancer; excessive growth is seen in the parathyroid gland due to excessive proliferation of malignant cells. Like healthy parathyroid tissue, these malignant and uncontrolled proliferating cells also produce parathormone uncontrollably.
Parathyroid Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Dysfunction of the parathyroid gland is diagnosed by looking at the amount and ratio of calcium and phosphorus in the blood and the level of parathormone in the blood. All patients with hyperparathyroidism have elevated levels of parathormone in the blood, but in individuals with benign disease this elevated level can be measured in the hundreds, whereas in individuals with parathyroid cancer it can often be measured in the thousands. This is the basis for diagnosis.
After the blood levels are checked, an ultrasound of the neck and a radioactive scan (sestamibi) of the parathyroid glands are performed. This determines which of the 4 parathyroid glands is abnormal. Surgical treatment is the main treatment forparathyroid cancer. Drug studies for chemotherapy treatment for parathyroid cancer surgery are ongoing, but no chemotherapy drug with a clearly proven effect has yet been found.
Parathyroid Cancer Surgery
Parathyroid cancer surgery is the most widely used, easiest and safest treatment for parathyroid cancer. For this reason, it is considered the only treatment method. Although the type of surgical procedure varies according to the location and size of the tumor and whether it has progressed to surrounding tissues, in general, the parathyroid gland and half of the thyroid gland on the side where the cancerous cells are located are removed. This is called thyroid lobectomy.
Before and during the surgical procedure, the lymph nodes on the same side of the neck are also examined and if there is enlargement of the lymph nodes, the enlarged lymph node is also removed in the same operation.
Methods Used in Parathyroid Cancer Surgery
One of the most effective methods for parathyroid cancer surgery is “Minimally Interventional Radiologic Surgery”. In this method, the surgeon enters through a small incision and with a very small radiation detector, easily locates the overactive and uncontrolled proliferating parathyroid cells and performs the surgical procedure accordingly.
Another method is radiologic parathyroid cancer surgery. This method is especially useful in surgeries performed in case of recurrence of the disease. It is a very precise and less invasive method inthe treatment of parathyroid cancer. If it is noticed that the disease recurs during the hormone controls performed after the first operation, parathyroid cancer surgery is performed by locating the tumor with radioactive scanning.
