Beyond Thyroid Cancer: The Silent Risk of Hypoparathyroidism
(BPT) - Each September, Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month brings attention to a disease that affects tens of thousands of people each year. But for many thyroid cancer survivors, the journey doesn't end with diagnosis and treatment of their thyroid cancer. Instead, they may face a new and often unexpected challenge - hypoparathyroidism (also known as hypopara) - a rare but potentially life-altering disease that can develop following thyroid surgery.
"For some thyroid cancer survivors, the surgery to treat their cancer can lead to a second disease they weren't expecting," says Gary Bloom, Executive Director of ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association. "Hypopara, which may result from damage to or accidental removal of the parathyroid glands during thyroid surgery, can be an unexpected diagnosis, and patients are left trying to manage a complex disease with limited awareness and support."
Understanding Hypopara
Parathyroid hormone (PTH) plays a critical role in regulating calcium and phosphorus levels in the body. Without it, calcium levels can drop to dangerously low levels, triggering a range of symptoms that can make it difficult for the body to function as it should, and impacting multiple body systems.
Hypopara can occur when the parathyroid glands - typically four small glands located just behind the thyroid, though the number of glands can vary - do not produce sufficient PTH. Most commonly, this happens as a result of surgery. About 75% of cases result from anterior neck surgery, such as a thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer, when the parathyroid glands may be unintentionally damaged or removed.
Unfortunately, some patients are not informed that hypopara can be a potential complication of surgery. This lack of awareness can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment, making the disease even more difficult to manage effectively.
"It's important for patients and caregivers to understand that while hypopara is a rare complication - it's a real risk," Bloom explains. "If you experience unusual symptoms after your surgery, contact your surgeon right away."
Recognizing the Symptoms Early
Symptoms of hypopara often appear subtly and can easily be mistaken for other conditions, making awareness especially important. People may experience muscle cramps or spasms, tingling or numbness in the fingers, toes, or face, persistent fatigue, difficulty concentrating, or even seizures.
If you've had thyroid surgery and feel that something isn't quite right, it's important to speak up. Testing calcium, phosphorus, and PTH levels through a simple blood test can help identify hypopara early.
A Treatment Option for Hypopara
Living with chronic hypopara means a lifetime of treatment. Historically, the standard approach has relied on calcium and active vitamin D - a regimen that can lead to a high pill burden and long-term complications associated with the disease. This conventional approach does not address the missing hormone.
YORVIPATH® (palopegteriparatide) is the first and only FDA-approved treatment for low parathyroid hormone in adults. It is administered as a once-daily injection using a convenient, prefilled, ready-to-use pen. The medication is designed to provide continuous exposure to active PTH over a 24-hour dosing period.
It is not known if YORVIPATH is safe in patients who were recently diagnosed with hypoparathyroidism after surgery, patients who start with low levels of calcium in the blood, and children. People should not use YORVIPATH if they are allergic to any of its ingredients. Some side effects include high and low levels of calcium in the blood, possible bone cancer, and dizziness when standing. For more detailed safety information, please refer to the end of this article.
Support for the Journey of Hypopara
For many, thyroid cancer is just the beginning of their journey. During Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, expanding the conversation to include the risk of developing hypopara can help raise awareness of the challenges survivors may face after thyroid surgery.
Organizations like ThyCa provide a wide range of support - including educational webinars, virtual support groups, and various resources - designed to empower patients and caregivers throughout their health journeys.
"We want individuals affected by thyroid cancer to know they're not alone," Bloom adds. "Through education, connection, and support, we can help patients navigate the realities of life after thyroid cancer - including diseases like hypopara that deserve far greater visibility."
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION AND USE
What is the most important information I should know about YORVIPATH®?
YORVIPATH may cause serious side effects, including:
- High levels of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia).YORVIPATH can cause some people to have higher blood calcium levels than normal. Your healthcare provider should check your blood calcium before you start and during your treatment with YORVIPATH. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have nausea, vomiting, dizziness, feeling thirsty, confusion, muscle weakness, or irregular heartbeat. Hypercalcemia is more likely to occur within the first 3 months of starting YORVIPATH, but it may occur at any time.
- Low levels of calcium in the blood (hypocalcemia).People who stop using, miss, or change a dose of YORVIPATH may have an increased risk of low blood calcium levels, but hypocalcemia may occur at any time. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have tingling in your fingertips, toes, lips or tongue, muscle spasms or cramps, oral numbness, depression, have problems thinking or remembering, abnormal heart rhythms, or seizures.
- Possible bone cancer (osteosarcoma).Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have pain in any areas of your body that does not go away or any new or unusual lumps or swelling under your skin that is tender to touch. These are some of the signs and symptoms of osteosarcoma and your healthcare provider may need to do further tests.
Who should not take YORVIPATH?
Do not use YORVIPATH if you are allergic to palopegteriparatide or any of the other ingredients in YORVIPATH.
What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking YORVIPATH?
Before using YORVIPATH, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
- are at higher risk of a type of bone cancer called osteosarcoma. This is especially important:
- if you have a bone disease that increases your risk of developing osteosarcoma (including if you have Paget's disease).
- if a blood test shows that you have unexplained increases in bone alkaline phosphatase.
- if you have cancer of the bones or other cancer that has spread to your bones.
- if you are having or have had radiation therapy to the skeleton.
- if you are affected with a condition that runs in your family that can increase your chance of getting cancer in your bones.
- take medicines that contain digoxin, are used to treat osteoporosis, or can affect calcium levels in your blood.
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if YORVIPATH will harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant during treatment with YORVIPATH.
- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if YORVIPATH passes into your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby during treatment with YORVIPATH.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take,including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. YORVIPATH and other medicines may affect each other causing side effects.
What are the possible side effects of YORVIPATH?
YORVIPATH may cause serious side effects:
- Allergic (hypersensitivity) reaction, including anaphylaxis.Stop taking YORVIPATH and tell your healthcare provider or get emergency medical help right away if you have swelling of your face, lips, mouth, or tongue, breathing problems, fainting, dizziness, feeling lightheaded (low blood pressure), fast heartbeat, itching, rash, or hives.
- Decrease in blood pressure when you change positions (orthostatic hypotension).Some people may feel dizzy, get a fast heartbeat, or feel light-headed right after injecting YORVIPATH. For the first few doses, give your injection of YORVIPATH in a place where you can sit or lie down right away if you get these symptoms. If your symptoms get worse or do not go away, contact your healthcare provider before you continue using YORVIPATH.
- Digoxin toxicity if you are using digoxin and YORVIPATH at the same time.Tell your healthcare provider if you experience irregular heart rhythm, heart palpitations, confusion, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or vision problems.
The most common side effects of YORVIPATH includeinjection site reactions, vasodilatory signs or symptoms such as a drop in blood pressure or lightheadedness when standing up, headache, diarrhea, back pain, high calcium levels, and sore throat.
These are not all of the possible side effects of YORVIPATH. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report side effects to FDAwww.fda.gov/medwatch. You may also report side effects to Ascendis Pharma at 1-844-442-7236.
What is YORVIPATH used for?
YORVIPATH is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with low parathyroid hormone (PTH) (hypoparathyroidism).
- It is not known if YORVIPATH is safe and effective in people who have been recently diagnosed with hypoparathyroidism after surgery, or if it is started in people with low levels of calcium in the blood.
- It is not known if YORVIPATH is safe and effective in children.
- YORVIPATH should not be used in children and young adults whose bones are still growing.
Please click here for fullPrescribing Information for YORVIPATH andMedication Guide.
For more information about YORVIPATH, please visit www.yorvipath.com or call +1 844-442-7236.
Source: BrandPoint
