The short answer
Treatment may involve surgery, treatment to control high calcium, radiation, chemotherapy, and clinical trials. The right discussion depends on calcium level, symptoms, whether surgery can remove the cancer, and whether the cancer has come back.
Treatment categories may include surgery, treatment to control high calcium, radiation, chemotherapy, and clinical trials.
The plan depends on calcium level, symptoms, whether surgery can remove the cancer, and whether the cancer has come back.
NCI says high blood calcium is more serious and life-threatening than the cancer itself. Treating it is as important as treating the cancer.
High blood calcium after treatment may be the first sign the cancer has come back. NCI advises regular check-ups for the rest of your life.
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The short answer
Parathyroid cancer forms in one of your four parathyroid glands. These small glands sit in your neck. They make parathyroid hormone, which helps keep the calcium in your blood at a normal level. Parathyroid cancer can make too much of this hormone. This causes high blood calcium, called hypercalcemia. NCI says treating the calcium problem is as important as treating the cancer itself.
Why calcium comes first
NCI says the high calcium caused by extra parathyroid hormone is more serious and life-threatening than the cancer itself. Most signs of parathyroid cancer come from the high calcium. They can include:
- Weakness and feeling very tired.
- Nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite.
- Weight loss for no known reason.
- Being much more thirsty than usual, and urinating much more than usual.
- Constipation.
- Trouble thinking clearly.
NCI also lists pain in the belly, side, or back that does not go away, bone pain, and a broken bone. Before surgery, treatment is given to control the calcium.
Surgery: the most common cancer treatment
Surgery is the most common treatment for parathyroid cancer. It removes the whole gland and the capsule around it. Sometimes the surgeon also removes lymph nodes, half of the thyroid gland, muscles, tissue, and a nerve in the neck.
Surgery sometimes damages the nerves of the vocal cords. This can make your voice hoarse or weak. There are treatments for speech problems caused by this nerve damage. Ask your surgeon how they will protect your voice.
Other treatments for calcium control
Some people cannot have surgery. NCI says medicine may be used for them. Care to control high calcium may include:
- Fluids through a vein.
- Drugs that make you urinate more.
- Drugs that stop the body absorbing calcium from food.
- Drugs that stop the parathyroid gland making parathyroid hormone.
Radiation and chemotherapy
Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. Chemotherapy uses drugs to stop cancer cells from growing or dividing. NCI lists both as treatment types. Radiation may follow surgery or be used on its own. Chemotherapy may be used if the cancer has spread or has come back.
What to expect after surgery
MedlinePlus says to have regular blood tests to check your calcium after surgery. Low calcium can cause numbness or tingling around your mouth. If you notice that in the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery, call your surgeon right away. Follow your team's directions for any calcium supplements. Ask how often your levels will be checked.
Watching for recurrence
Parathyroid cancer can come back. NCI says it usually returns 2 to 5 years after the first surgery, but it can return up to 20 years later. It usually comes back in the tissues or lymph nodes of the neck. High blood calcium after treatment may be the first sign. NCI advises regular check-ups for the rest of your life. Keep your follow-up visits, even when you feel well.
Which symptoms cannot wait
- Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if confusion comes on suddenly or is severe (MedlinePlus).
- Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if the person is very drowsy or hard to wake.
Do not drive yourself.
Call your care team right away, at any hour, for milder confusion, bad belly pain, or vomiting that keeps going. Call right away too for any sign your team has tied to high calcium. Being much more thirsty than usual, urinating much more than usual, or a new uneven heartbeat also needs a fast call. These can be signs of a high calcium level. Do not watch and wait at home.
What to ask your care team
- Is my calcium level dangerously high right now, and what is being done about it?
- What is the plan for surgery, and how will you protect my voice?
- Will I need calcium supplements after surgery, and for how long?
- How often will you check my blood calcium to watch for recurrence?
Sources
Common questions
Why is the calcium treated before the cancer?
NCI says the high calcium caused by extra parathyroid hormone is more serious and life-threatening than the cancer itself. Treating it is as important as treating the cancer. Signs include weakness, feeling very tired, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, being much more thirsty than usual, urinating much more than usual, constipation, and trouble thinking clearly. Before surgery, treatment is given to control the calcium.
What is the main treatment for parathyroid cancer?
Surgery is the most common treatment, says NCI. It removes the whole gland and the capsule around it. Sometimes nearby lymph nodes, half of the thyroid gland, muscles, tissue, and a nerve in the neck are removed too. Surgery sometimes damages the nerves of the vocal cords, which can change your voice. There are treatments for speech problems this causes. Ask your surgeon how they will protect your voice.
When are radiation or chemotherapy used?
NCI lists both as treatment types. Radiation may be given after surgery or on its own. Chemotherapy may be used if the cancer has spread or comes back. For someone who cannot have surgery, NCI says medicine may be used. It can include drugs that stop the body absorbing calcium from food or stop the gland making the hormone. Fluids through a vein are also used.
What happens to my calcium after surgery?
MedlinePlus says you should have regular blood tests to check your calcium after surgery. Low calcium can cause numbness or tingling around your mouth. Call your surgeon right away if that happens in the first 24 to 48 hours. Follow your team's directions for any calcium supplements. Ask how often your levels will be checked.
How is a recurrence picked up?
NCI says high blood calcium after treatment may be the first sign. The cancer usually returns 2 to 5 years after the first surgery, but it can return up to 20 years later. It usually comes back in the tissues or lymph nodes of the neck. NCI advises regular check-ups for the rest of your life, so keep your follow-up visits even when you feel well.
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Sources last checked: 2026-07-22 what this meansLast updated: 2026-09-29Next planned review: 2027-01-22
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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