T3/T4 Combination Study - "...case by case approach is recommended"

[lynmynott]

Another paper showing that some patients need T3. When will NHS England listen!

Head Neck. 2017 Sep 27. doi: 10.1002/hed.24926. [Epub ahead of print]

Thyroid-stimulating hormone suppression therapy for differentiated thyroid cancer: The role for a combined T3/T4 approach.

Fussey JM1, Khan H2, Ahsan F1, Prashant R3, Pettit L3.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

In the management of differentiated thyroid carcinoma, surgery with or without postoperative radioiodine, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression is the standard of care in most patients. Levothyroxine is recommended for long-term TSH suppression. For some patients, this may be difficult to tolerate due to adverse effects, such as impaired cognitive function.

METHODS:

This article reviews the evidence for the role of combination treatment with triiodothyronine (T3) and levothyroxine (T4) in these patients.

RESULTS:

The evidence for combination T3 and T4 treatment comes mainly from studies on hypothyroidism, and research into its use for TSH suppression is limited.

CONCLUSION:

Although the evidence base is not strong, there is a small group of patients who may benefit from combination T3 and T4 treatment due to difficulty tolerating thyroxine. Until further evidence is available, a case-by-case approach is recommended.

© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[LouiseRoberts]

Just clearing out the unanswered.