Treatments for localized parathyroid cancer
Localized parathyroid cancer means the cancer is in a parathyroid gland and may have spread to nearby tissues, such as the muscle or the thyroid.
Surgery is the main treatment for localized parathyroid cancer.
Surgery
Surgery is a medical procedure to examine, remove or repair tissue. Surgery, as a treatment for cancer, means removing the tumour or cancerous tissue from your body.
Surgery is the main treatment for localized parathyroid cancer. Your healthcare team may use different terms to describe the surgery. These terms include a parathyroidectomy or an en bloc resection. A parathyroidectomy removes one or more parathyroid glands. The term en bloc resection refers to a surgical method that can be used in different parts of the body, including the parathyroid glands. It means that the tumour and the tissue around it are removed as one piece (en bloc).
The surgeon removes the tumour, the parathyroid gland or glands, and a small
amount of surrounding tissue called the surgical margin. Sometimes, part of the
A pathologist looks at a sample of the surgical margin under a microscope. If there are no cancer cells in the surgical margin, it is called a negative surgical margin. If there are cancer cells, it is called a positive surgical margin. Doctors use this information to confirm the stage of the cancer and to plan treatment.
Side effects
Side effects of surgery will depend on the type of surgery and your overall health. Tell your healthcare team if you have side effects that you think are from surgery. The sooner you tell them of any problems, the sooner they can suggest ways to help you deal with them.
Surgery for localized parathyroid cancer may cause these side effects:
- hematoma in the neck (a collection or pool of blood outside a blood vessel under the skin)
- vocal cord paralysis (caused by damaged to the recurrent laryngeal nerve)
- hypocalcemia (low levels of calcium in the blood)
- hypoparathyroidism (low levels of parathyroid hormone)
Find out more about surgery for cancer and side effects of surgery.
Clinical trials
Talk to your doctor about clinical trials open to people with parathyroid cancer in Canada. Clinical trials look at new ways to prevent, find and treat cancer. Find out more about clinical trials.
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