Parathyroid carcinoma presenting as a giant mediastinal retrotracheal functioning cyst.

FERNANDO VAZQUEZ; LUCAS APARICIO; CRISTIAN GALLO; MARIA DIEHL

SINGAPORE MEDICAL JOURNAL

SINGAPORE MEDICAL ASSOC

Año: 2007 vol. 48 p. 304 - 308

0037-5675

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare malignancyof the parathyroid glands, and is the causeof primary hyperparathyroidism in fewerthan one percent of cases. Symptomsare mainly due to local compression orhypercalcaemia secondary to markedlyelevated parathyroid hormone levels. Aminority of patients remain asymptomatic.Mediastinal parathyroid cysts are infrequentand may or may not be functioning. Wepresent an 84 -year -old woman with a giantfunctioning cystic parathyroid carcinomalocated in the middle mediastinum.We performed a thorough MEDLINE andLILACS database search on publishedcases of parathyroid carcinoma andfunctioning parathyroid cysts, and foundno case report with identical features tothe one presented here.