Brown jaw tumors: today's unusual presentation of primary hyperparathyroidism

J Endocrinol Invest. 2003 Jul;26(7):675-8. doi: 10.1007/BF03347028.

Abstract

Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) has changed its clinical features in the last decade becoming a mild biochemical disease, in which the classical fibrous cystic osteitis is a rare complication. The more frequent bone involvement in primary hyperparathyroidism is observed at the distal 1/3 of the radius, where the cortical bone is primarily represented. However, lumbar and femoral osteopenia or osteoporosis prevalently affect hyperparathyroid post-menopausal women. We report two, otherwise healthy, young male patients, who presented a painful jaw swelling. In both patients standard radiographic imaging revealed a low-density well-defined lesion, which caused jaw bone destruction. High levels of serum calcium (14.1-16.6 mg/dl, n.v. 8.1-10.4) and PTH (1172-1928 pg/ml, n.v. 10-65) indicated the presence of pHPT associated with hypertension, asymptomatic renal involvement and osteoporosis with normal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in both patients. A single huge parathyroid adenoma was successfully removed and within 2 months jaw lesions were almost completely re-mineralized without any other therapeutic intervention in both patients. In conclusion, although brown jaw tumors are a rare complication of the hyperparathyroidism, they should be considered and identified in young patients with severe pHPT. Moreover, such a complication seems to be independent from vitamin D deficiency, suggesting the involvement of other pathogenetic factors.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Bone Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Bone Neoplasms / etiology*
  • Humans
  • Hyperparathyroidism / etiology*
  • Jaw Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Jaw Neoplasms / etiology*
  • Male
  • Osteoporosis / etiology
  • Parathyroid Neoplasms / complications*
  • Parathyroid Neoplasms / surgery
  • Parathyroidectomy
  • Radiography