Key Points
                    - After parathyroid cancer has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body.    - There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.    - Cancer may spread from where it began to other parts of the body.    - There is no standard staging process for parathyroid cancer.
                
                
                    After parathyroid cancer has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body.
                    The process used to find out if cancer has spread to other parts of the body is called staging. The following imaging tests may be used to determine if cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as the lungs, liver, bone, heart, pancreas, or lymph nodes:         -   CT scan (CAT scan): A procedure that makes a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, taken from different angles. The pictures are made by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. A dye may be injected into a vein or swallowed to help the organs or tissues show up more clearly. This procedure is also called computed tomography, computerized tomography, or computerized axial tomography.    -   MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): A procedure that uses a magnet, radio waves, and a computer to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. This procedure is also called nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI).
                
                
                    There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.
                    Cancer can spread through tissue, the lymph system, and the blood:         - Tissue. The cancer spreads from where it began by growing into nearby areas.     - Lymph system. The cancer spreads from where it began by getting into the lymph system. The cancer travels through the lymph vessels to other parts of the body.     - Blood. The cancer spreads from where it began by getting into the blood. The cancer travels through the blood vessels to other parts of the body.
                
                
                    Cancer may spread from where it began to other parts of the body.
                    When cancer spreads to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. Cancer cells break away from where they began (the primary tumor) and travel through the lymph system or blood.         - Lymph system. The cancer gets into the lymph system, travels through the lymph vessels, and forms a tumor (metastatic tumor) in another part of the body.    - Blood. The cancer gets into the blood, travels through the blood vessels, and forms a tumor (metastatic tumor) in another part of the body.        The metastatic tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if parathyroid cancer spreads to the lung, the cancer cells in the lung are actually parathyroid cancer cells. The disease is metastatic parathyroid cancer, not lung cancer.
                
                
                    There is no standard staging process for parathyroid cancer.
                    Parathyroid cancer is described as either localized or metastatic:         - Localized parathyroid cancer is found in a parathyroid gland and may have spread to nearby tissues.    - Metastatic parathyroid cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs, liver, bone, sac around the heart, pancreas, or lymph nodes.