When the PTH level is elevated or is not depressed despite the hypercalcemia, findings that suggest family history of hypercalcemia due to a genetic cause include syndromic manifestations in the patient or family members, parathyroid cancer (either suspected before surgery or confirmed during parathyroidectomy), multiple or recurrent parathyroid tumors, a family history of primary hyperparathyroidism, and the onset of primary hyperthyroidism before 50 years of age.
This investigation of 17 consecutive patients with parathyroid cancer, (re-)operated on at a tertiary referral center between 1994 and July 2016, with a mean follow-up of 179.6 months (15 years) aimed to clarify the suitability of PTH serum levels for prediction of clinical outcome after comprehensive operative management of parathyroid cancer.