Downregulation of CASR expression and global loss of parafibromin staining are strong negative determinants of prognosis in parathyroid carcinoma

Parathyroid carcinoma is associated with mutations in the HRPT2/CDC73 gene and with decreased parafibromin and calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) expression, but in some cases establishing an unequivocal diagnosis remains a challenge. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prognostic value of CaSR and parafibromin expression and of HRPT2/CDC73 mutations in patients with an established diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma. Data on survival and disease-free survival were obtained from hospital records of 23 patients with an established diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma in whom CaSR and parafibromin expression and HRPT2/CDC73 mutation analyses were available from paraffin-embedded pathological specimens. Kaplan-Meier curves were used for survival analysis. Downregulation of CaSR expression, global loss of parafibromin staining and a HRPT2/CDC73 mutation were, respectively, found in 7 (30%), 13 (59%) and 4 (17%) patients, and were associated with, respectively, 16-fold, 4-fold and 7-fold increased risk of developing local or distant metastasis. These findings suggest that although downregulation of CaSR expression, global loss of parafibromin staining and mutations in the HRPT2/CDC73 gene are tools of proven value to assist in establishing a diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma, their absence does not exclude it. Notwithstanding, we demonstrate a significant added value of these markers as strong determinants of increased malignant potential and thus as negative prognostic markers in this malignancy.