[Parathyroid carcinoma]

The parathyroid carcinoma is a rare cause of primary hyperparathyroidism. It deserves special attention in regard to diagnosis and treatment. Within a period of 10 years we observed 117 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) at the University Hospitals of Ulm and Heidelberg. In five patients a parathyroid carcinoma was found, corresponding to an incidence of 4.4%. In four of five patients no clinical signs were evident preoperatively indicating a parathyroid malignancy.