Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Recombinant human thyrotropin in veterinary medicine: current use and future perspectives.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary internal medicine
- Year:
- 2012
- Authors:
- Campos, M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of Small Animals
Plain-English summary
Recombinant human thyrotropin (rhTSH) is a medication that was created because a similar product made from cows was no longer available. It has been approved for use in humans to help diagnose and treat certain thyroid cancers. In veterinary medicine, rhTSH is mainly used to test how well the thyroid is working in dogs suspected of having hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid). Recent studies have looked at how rhTSH can improve treatments for thyroid cancer in dogs and hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid) in cats, potentially allowing for lower doses of treatment and better safety for the pets. Overall, rhTSH is becoming an important tool in treating thyroid issues in pets, with promising future uses being explored.
Abstract
Recombinant human thyrotropin (rhTSH) was developed after bovine thyrotropin (bTSH) was no longer commercially available. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) as an aid to diagnostic follow-up of differentiated thyroid carcinoma in humans and for thyroid remnant ablation with radioiodine. In addition, rhTSH is used in human medicine to evaluate thyroid reserve capacity and to enhance radioiodine uptake in patients with metastatic thyroid cancer and multinodular goiter. Likewise, rhTSH has been used in veterinary medicine over the last decade. The most important veterinary use of rhTSH is thyroidal functional reserve testing for the diagnosis of canine hypothyroidism. Recent pilot studies performed at Ghent University in Belgium have investigated the use of rhTSH to optimize radioiodine treatment of canine thyroid carcinoma and feline hyperthyroidism. Radioiodine treatment optimization may allow a decreased therapeutic dosage of radioiodine and thus may improve radioprotection. This review outlines the current uses of rhTSH in human and veterinary medicine, emphasizing research performed in dogs and cats, as well as potential future applications.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22676297/