If parathyroid cancer spreads

Cancer cells can spread from the parathyroid glands to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis. Understanding how a type of cancer usually grows and spreads helps your healthcare team plan your treatment and future care.

Parathyroid cancer can grow into (invade) the following nearby areas:

• thyroid
• muscles in the neck
• windpipe (trachea) or tissue around the windpipe
• esophagus
• nerve that goes to the larynx (recurrent laryngeal nerve)

It can also spread to the following areas and distant sites:

• lymph nodes in the neck
• middle of the chest (mediastinum)
• lungs
• liver
• bone
• sac around the heart (pericardium)
• pleura
• pancreas