title: Parathyroid carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare tumor with an incidence of 0.5 to 4%. Preoperative differentiation from benign adenoma is very difficult. Several features, though nonspecific, have been used in differentiating parathyroid carcinoma from the adenoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis during the period of nine years, four cases of parathyroid carcinoma were diagnosed on the basis of per-operative local invasion and on histological evidence of capsular invasion and vascular invasion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We have different observations to make. Diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma which was done on the basis of intra operative suspicion only. One patient died on 6th post operative day due to development of pancreatitis. At the follow-up of two years there was no local recurrence or distant metastasis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is preferable to have a high index of suspicion for parathyroid carcinoma when these features are present than to miss the opportunity for surgical cure by failing to consider it in the differential diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrine Surgery, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kar
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Krishnani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mithal
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Mishra
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010280:Parathyroid Glands / Q000473:pathology; D010282:Parathyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors