Evaluation of malignant parathyroid tumours in two European cohorts of patients with sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism

Purpose

Parathyroid carcinoma (PC) is remarkable for its rare occurrence and challenging diagnostics. PC accounts for 0.1–5 % cases of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). The differentiation from benign tumours is difficult even by morphological criteria. To address these issues, we assessed the PC frequency in two separate European PHPT cohorts and evaluated the demographic, clinical, morphological and molecular background.

Methods

A retrospective study was carried out, using continuously maintained database (2005–2014) of PHPT patients from two tertiary referral university hospitals in Europe. The demographic, clinical data and frequency of PC among surgically treated PHPT was detected. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to detect parafibromin, representing protein product of HRPT2 gene and proliferation marker Ki-67.

Results

Both PHPT cohorts were characterised by close mean age values (58.6 and 58.0 years) and female predominance. The frequency of PC differed significantly between the cohorts: 2.1 vs. 0.3 %; p = 0.004. PC was characterised by invariable complete loss of parafibromin contrasting with parathyroid adenomas. The proliferation fraction was similar in both PC cohorts (10.6 and 11.0 %). PC showed significantly higher proliferation fraction than typical parathyroid adenomas (1.6 %), atypical adenomas (1.6 %) or adenomas featuring focal loss of parafibromin (2.2 %).

Conclusions

PC frequency can range significantly between the two European cohorts. The differences can be attributable to selection bias of patients referred for surgery and are not caused by discordant definition of malignant parathyroid histology. Diffuse loss of parafibromin and increased proliferation fraction by Ki-67 are valuable adjuncts in PC diagnostics due to significant differences with various clinical and morphological subtypes of adenoma.

Is the covering of the resection margin after distal pancreatectomy advantageous?

Background

In recent years, many advances in pancreatic surgery have been achieved. Nevertheless, the rate of pancreatic fistula following pancreatic tail resection does not differ between various techniques, still reaching up to 30% in prospective multicentric studies. Taking into account contradictory results concerning the usefulness of covering resection margins after distal pancreatectomy, we sought to perform a systematic, retrospective analysis of patients that underwent distal pancreatectomy at our center.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed the data of 74 patients that underwent distal pancreatectomy between 2001 and 2011 at the community hospital in Neuss. Demographic factors, indications, postoperative complications, surgical or interventional revisions, and length of hospital stay were registered to compare the outcome of patients undergoing distal pancreatectomy with coverage of the resection margins vs. patients undergoing distal pancreatectomy without coverage of the resection margins. Differences between groups were calculated using Fisher’s exact and Mann–Whitney U test.

Results

Main indications for pancreatic surgery were insulinoma (n=18, 24%), ductal adenocarcinoma (n=9, 12%), non-single-insulinoma-pancreatogenic-hypoglycemia-syndrome (NSIPHS) (n=8, 11%), and pancreatic cysts with pancreatitis (n=8, 11%). In 39 of 74 (53%) patients no postoperative complications were noted. In detail we found that 23/42 (55%) patients with coverage vs. 16/32 (50%) without coverage of the resection margins had no postoperative complications. The most common complications were pancreatic fistulas in eleven patients (15%), and postoperative bleeding in nine patients (12%). Pancreatic fistulas occurred in patients without coverage of the resection margins in 7/32 (22%) vs. 4/42 (1011%) with coverage are of the resection margins, yet without reaching statistical significance. Postoperative bleeding ensued with equal frequency in both groups (12% with coverage versus 13% without coverage of the resection margins). The reoperation rate was 8%. The hospital stay for patients without coverage was 13 days (5–60) vs. 17 days (8–60) for patients with coverage.

Conclusions

The results show no significant difference in the fistula rate after covering of the resection margin after distal pancreatectomy, which contributes to the picture of an unsolved problem.

Does multiple gland disease in primary hyperparathyroidism correlate with age or sex?

PURPOSE

Paediatric primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) patients suffer more often from multiple gland disease (MGD) than adults. The question occurs whether MGD in adult PHPT patients also correlates with age or sex and whether familial PHPT plays a decisive role. This is significant, as it would influence our decision for a focused approach or the bilateral cervical exploration.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively analysed 465 consecutive PHPT patients who underwent surgery in our department between September 2001 and December 2008.

RESULTS

PHPT patients aged 40 years or younger suffered significantly more often from MGD than older patients (22.9% versus 11.0%). If familial PHPT disorders, which were more common in young patients, were excluded, the divergence between these two groups vanished (12.5% versus 10.0%). There was no statistical significant difference in the frequency of MGD between men (12.2%) and women (12.3%).

CONCLUSIONS

If familial PHPT can be ruled out, the frequency of MGD in adult PHPT patients does not correlate with age or with sex. Therefore, age and sex do not imply specific surgical approaches in adult PHPT patients.

[Indication and performance of endocrine surgery. The significance of molecular genetic examination]

The molecular genetic changes from certain endocrine tumors are already understood, reflecting as they do the etiology of these sporadic familial disorders. This already has clinical consequences to the treatment of familial endocrine tumors, which often appear in the course of syndromatic disorders. These consequences consist in slight changes to surgical technique, the search for other active and usually endocrinal tumors, and examination of family members for other gene carriers (of disease-specific mutations) and the most suitable prophylactic tumor therapy. In contrast, for sporadic endocrine tumors there exists far less clinically relevant knowledge. Starting with anamnesis and clinical findings of active endocrine tumors, we discuss the current possibilities for molecular genetic determination of disease-specific mutations (germline and tumor DNA) and their effect on surgical procedure.

[Paraneoplastic thrombosis of the internal jugular and subclavian veins as first manifestation of gall bladder cancer]

HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS

A 69-year-old woman presented with a cervical swelling of unknown cause.

INVESTIGATION AND DIAGNOSIS

Computed tomograph (CT) and phlebography showed extensive thrombosis of sigmoid sinus and the internal jugular, brachiocephalic and subclavian veins on the left side. Blood coagulation tests were unremarkable. A paraneoplastic cause for the thrombosis could be ruled out as well. The CT revealed only cholecystolithiasis and anadrenal incidentaloma.

TREATMENT AND COURSE

Oral anticoagulation was initiated. One year later a carcinoma of the gall bladder with involvement of the liver was detected at laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Reoperation was performed but not all tumor tissue was resected. Nine months later an intraabdominal metastasis was excised.

CONCLUSION

If a paraneoplastic thrombosis but susected but the search for a tumor has been unsuccessful, even an asymptomatic cholecystolithiasis should be treated with a cholecystectomy.