Case of thymic parathyroid carcinoma in a haemodialysis patient: application of tumour chemosensitivity testing

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare tumour, which is often difficult to diagnose. This is especially true in patients with pre-existing tertiary hyperparathyroidism of end-stage renal disease. A case is presented of parathyroid carcinoma in a haemodialysis patient withunusual thymic involvement. After demonstrating the difficulty in pre-operative diagnosis and risk of recurrence, the importance of non-surgical treatment options is discussed and the investigation of individual tumour chemosensitivity is introduced, which is new to this type of cancer.