Parathyroid Carcinoma Shown on 99mTc-Sestamibi Parathyroid SPECT/CT Scan in a Pediatric Patient

MIBG Uptake in Pancreas as a Normal Variant

ABSTRACT

A 5-year-old girl with high-risk neuroblastoma underwent 123I-MIBG scintigraphy for disease restaging. The whole-body images showed a faint MIBG uptake in the midabdomen. Abdominal SPECT/CT demonstrated the focus locating in the pancreatic head. However, this activity disappeared on delayed acquisition at 6-hour later. Follow-up MIBG scan after 6 months did not show the abnormal MIBG uptake in the pancreatic head. Delayed scan could be helpful for differential diagnosis.

Parathyroid carcinoma in a 13-year-old girl with a long-term survival

Background

Parathyroid carcinoma as a cause of primary hyperparathyroidism in children is extremely rare. We report a case of parathyroid carcinoma which occurred in a 13-year-old girl who survived for more than 45 years after the first operation.

Case presentation

A woman was admitted to our hospital for the treatment of recurrent parathyroid carcinoma in the neck. She had been diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism from a fibula fracture and underwent parathyroidectomy at 13 years old. She had no family history of multiple endocrine neoplasia or jaw tumor syndrome. Genetic testing was not performed, and the histopathological diagnosis of the tumor had been parathyroid adenoma at the time. At 22 years old, she showed hypercalcemia after a femur fracture. Pulmonary metastases of parathyroid carcinoma in the bilateral lungs were found and surgically removed. Regarding the clinical course, her diagnosis was corrected from parathyroid adenoma to parathyroid carcinoma. At 33 years old, re-resection of the lung metastases was performed. For 10 years, her serum calcium level stayed within the normal range. However, her serum calcium level and intact parathyroid hormone eventually began to increase. Two masses suspected of being parathyroid carcinoma recurrence were found in the neck when she was 57 years old. En bloc resection was performed. Pathologically, the tumors were diagnosed as parathyroid adenoma. The serum calcium level and intact parathyroid hormone did not decrease after the operation. A ^99mTc-methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile- and ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose-negative, ¹¹C-methionine-positive tumor was detected at the right side of the trachea in the neck. The tumor was removed, along with the thyroid, muscle, and trachea that were involved. The pathological diagnosis was parathyroid carcinoma recurrence. The serum calcium level and intact parathyroid hormone decreased temporarily but had increased again 8 months later. Methionine-positive tumors were found at the right side of the trachea and suspected of being a recurrence. Denosumab reduced her serum calcium level, and radiation successfully suppressed the growth of the recurrent tumors.

Conclusion

We have reported a rare case of parathyroid carcinoma in a child who has survived for over 40 years. Positron emission tomography of ¹¹C-methionine was useful for detecting local recurrence. This patient’s long-term survival has been attributed to multimodality treatment including repeated surgery, medication, and radiation.