Recombinant human thyrotropin-aided versus thyroid hormone withdrawal-aided radioiodine treatment for differentiated...

We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare the effects of recombinant human thyrotropin (rhTSH) and thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW) on thyrotropin stimulation prior to remnant ablation of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).

A comprehensive search was conducted for articles discussing rhTSH and THW prior to December 2012. After applying the inclusion criteria, all the available data were summarized to analyze the efficacy of rhTSH and THW for stimulating TSH.

Seven RCTs that involved a total of 1535 patients, were included in the analysis. The ablation rates of the rhTSH group and the THW group were not significantly different (RR=0.97, 95% CI: 0.94-1.01, p=0.1). Patients in the rhTSH group had a better quality of life (QoL) than those in the THW group on the day of ablation (RR=3.92, 95% CI: 3.44-5.40, p<0.00001). However, there was no difference in the QoL 3 months after ablation (RR=-0.9, 95% CI: -2.20-0.39, p=0.17). Additionally, there were no significant differences in serum thyroglobulin (Tg) levels measured just before radioiodine remnant ablation (preablation thyroglobulin levels) (RR=-0.14, 95% CI: -0.73-0.45, p=0.65), or in days of hospital isolation (RR=-10.51, 95% CI: -32.79-11.73, p=0.35) CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the administration of rhTSH had resulted in an ablation rate similar to that of THW for DTC patients, but rhTSH provided a better QoL at the time of ablation.