HRPT2Mutational Analysis of Typical Sporadic Parathyroid Adenomas

Mutations of HRPT2 are frequent in sporadic parathyroid carcinomas and central to their pathogenesis. However, the potential diagnostic utility of HRPT2 mutation status to distinguish between parathyroid carcinoma and adenoma hinges on the frequency of HRPT2 mutations in benign adenomas. Even a low rate of HRPT2 mutation in adenomas would greatly alter diagnostic specificity, because adenomas are far more prevalent than carcinomas. The issue remains open because of the limited number of typical adenomas, not subjected to additional selection criteria, examined in previous studies.