Calcitonin ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; drug therapy ; etiology ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Williams Syndrome ; complications ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVETo study the clinicopathologic characteristics of parathyroid carcinoma (PTC).

METHODSEleven cases of PTC encountered during the period from 1994 to 2012 were enrolled into the study. Forty cases of parathyroid adenoma (PA) were also retrieved for comparison. The clinical manifestations, laboratory results and pathologic features were analyzed, with literature review.

RESULTSThe main clinical manifestations of PTC included neck mass (11/11), hypercalcemia (11/11) and hyperparathyroidism (11/11). Most patients also had osteoporosis (10/11). In contrast, PA often manifested as hypercalcemia (40/40) and hyperparathyroidism (40/40). Histologic examination of PTC showed that the tumor cells contained clear to eosinophilic cytoplasm and separated by dense bands of fibrosis. The tumor mass was surrounded by thick fibrous capsule. Foci of capsular invasion and vascular permeation were identified at the tumor periphery in all cases. Cellular atypia was not conspicuous but mitotic figures and coagulative necrosis were easily identified. On the other hand, PA were composed of tumor cells with clear to eosinophilic cytoplasm, forming glands, trabeculae or nests. Most of them (35/40) had intact fibrous capsule. Mitotic figures were rarely encountered and tumor necrosis was absent. Immunohistochemical study showed that the tumor cells in PTC were positive for CK19 (11/11), chromogranin A (9/11), synaptophysin (7/11) and parathyroid hormone (11/11). They were negative for thyroglobulin, TTF-1 and calcitonin. The Ki-67 index was less than 10% (range = 2% to 9%). In contrast, the tumor cells in PA were positive (40/40) for CK19, chromogranin A, synaptophysin and parathyroid hormone. They were negative for thyroglobulin, TTF-1 and calcitonin. The Ki-67 index was less than 3%. Follow up-data were available in 9 cases of PTC (duration of follow up = 11 months to 224 months) and 7 of the patients were still alive. Follow up of all PA cases showed no evidence of recurrence.

CONCLUSIONSPTC is a rare malignant endocrine tumor presenting as neck mass. Histologic features suggestive of malignant behavior include presence of coagulative tumor necrosis and capsular/vascular invasion. It needs to be distinguished from other entities such as parathyroid adenoma, papillary thyroid carcinoma and medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Adenoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Adult ; Carcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Chromogranin A ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; etiology ; Hyperparathyroidism ; etiology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Keratin-19 ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis ; etiology ; Parathyroid Hormone ; metabolism ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Synaptophysin ; metabolism ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study is to measure the difference of ionized calcium between heparinized whole blood and serum. METHODS: We recruited 107 maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients from our hospital HD unit. The clinical and laboratory data included ionized calcium in serum and in whole blood (reference, 4.07 to 5.17 mg/dL). RESULTS: The level of ionized calcium in serum was higher than that in whole blood (p < 0.001). Bland-Altman analysis showed that difference for ionized calcium was 0.5027. For the difference, the nonstandardized beta was -0.4389 (p < 0.001) and the intercept was 2.2418 (p < 0.001). There was a significant difference in the distribution of categories of ionized calcium level between two methods (kappa, 0.279; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that whole blood ionized calcium is underestimated compared with serum ionized calcium. Positive difference increases as whole blood ionized calcium decreases. Therefore, significant hypocalcemia in whole blood ionized calcium should be verified by serum ionized calcium.
Aged ; Biological Markers/blood ; Calcium/*blood ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia/blood/*diagnosis/etiology ; Hypocalcemia/blood/*diagnosis/etiology ; Kidney Diseases/blood/complications/diagnosis/*therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Predictive Value of Tests ; *Renal Dialysis/adverse effects ; Reproducibility of Results ; Specimen Handling/*methods

No abstract available.
Acute Kidney Injury/diagnosis/*etiology/therapy ; Biopsy ; Fluid Therapy ; Glucocorticoids ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia/diagnosis/*etiology/therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multimodal Imaging ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Renal Dialysis ; Sarcoidosis/*complications/diagnosis/therapy ; Subcutaneous Tissue/pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and presented malignancy-associated hypercalcemia (MAH).

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 36 patients with biopsy-proven SCC and presented MAH who were treated at the our department from January 2001 to December 2010. The survival were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox analysis.

RESULTSAmong these 36 patients, the median blood calcium level was 2.94 mmol/L (2.77-4.87 mmol/L), and the median survival time was only 45 days (1-839 d). Log-rank test showed that central nervous system symptoms, bone metastasis, and hypercalcemia occurring over 160 days after cancer diagnosis were predictors for poor survival(p=0.003, P=0.049, P=0.005). In the COX proportional hazard model analysis, central nervous system symptoms and hypercalcemia occurring over 160 days after cancer diagnosis were independent prognostic factors for survival time (RR=5.721, P=0.000; RR=4.624, P=0.001).

CONCLUSIONSPatients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and presented MAH have poor prognosis. Central nervous system symptoms and hypercalcemia occurring over 160 days after cancer diagnosis are independent predictors of the prognosis.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; complications ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Biological Markers/blood ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Calcium/blood ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia/etiology ; Hyperparathyroidism/blood/diagnosis/*etiology/therapy ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Parathyroid Hormone/blood ; Parathyroid Neoplasms/blood/*complications/diagnosis/therapy ; Parathyroidectomy ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Renal Insufficiency/etiology ; Treatment Outcome

Primary hyperparathyroidism due to ectopic parathyroid adenomas can pose diagnostic and management challenges, especially when imaging studies have localised the lesions to different sites. We report a case of symptomatic hypercalcaemia due to a mediastinal parathyroid adenoma. Ultrasonography identified a nodule posterior to the right thyroid gland. However, computed tomography and technetium-99m sestamibi scintigraphy revealed an ectopic parathyroid adenoma located in the anterior mediastinum. The adenoma was successfully removed through a median sternotomy. However, postoperatively, the patient developed prolonged symptomatic hypocalcaemia, possibly due to suppression of the normal parathyroid gland function, although the presence of concomitant hungry bone syndrome was possible. The histopathology of the mediastinal mass was consistent with a parathyroid adenoma.
Calcium ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; etiology ; Hyperparathyroidism ; diagnosis ; Hypocalcemia ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Mediastinal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; Parathyroid Glands ; pathology ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Postoperative Complications ; Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi ; pharmacology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography

Acute Disease ; Bone Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; secondary ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; classification ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; complications ; Lung Neoplasms ; complications ; diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; diagnosis ; etiology

Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; etiology ; Mediastinal Cyst ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Middle Aged ; Parathyroid Diseases ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVETo investigate the diagnosis and surgical treatment of parathyroid carcinoma.

METHODSThe clinical data of 9 cases of parathyroid carcinoma treated from January 1967 to December 2009 was analyzed retrospectively with the review of related Chinese literatures.

RESULTSParathyroid carcinoma accounted for 8.9% (8/90) of all patients with primary hyperparathyroidism in our hospital, and the other one case was transferred from another hospital. Of the patients, 8 cases were found with primary hyperparathyroidism. Primary surgery was carried out with small incision: 5 patients underwent en bloc resection, among which, 3 cases received central lymph node dissection; 2 patients received simple parathyroidectomy; one case underwent palliative tumor resection. The case from another hospital received subtotal thyroidectomy. Considering preoperative, intraoperative data and frozen sections pathology, all patients were diagnosed as parathyroid carcinoma. Nine patients were followed-up for 1 - 14 years, no recurrence occurred, and the patient received palliative resection died from carcinoma two years after the operation. In previous Chinese literatures and this group, there were total 146 patients reported as parathyroid carcinoma. Those patients were diagnosed through routine histopathology, accounted for 1.8% - 11.5% of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism.

CONCLUSIONSThe diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma is established according to severe hypercalcemia, clinical features, subset B-ultrasound and Tc(99m)-sestamibi scanning, intraoperative finding of adherence to close structures and histopathology. The initial surgical procedure of choice is en bloc resection of the tumor by minimally invasive small incision, including adjacent structures and ipsilateral thyroidectomy. The prognosis is favorable after the operation.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Hyperparathyroidism, Primary ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Lymph Node Excision ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; complications ; diagnosis ; pathology ; therapy ; Parathyroidectomy ; methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi