Randomized trial of pamidronate in patients with thyroid cancer: bone density is not reduced by suppressive doses of thyroxine, but is increased by cyclic intravenous pamidronate.

Abstract

Patients taking suppressive doses of T4 are thought to have accelerated bone loss and increased risk of osteoporosis. We therefore randomize 55 patients taking suppressive doses of T4 to treatment with pamidronate (APD) 30 mg i.v. every 3 months for 2 yr (APD/T4), or placebo (placebo/T4). Patients had measurements of bone mineral density (BMD) of the spine, hip, radius, and total body every 6 months for 2 yr. There was no significant bone loss at any site in the placebo/T4 group. Ninety five percent confidence intervals excluded a rate of bone loss > 0.89%/yr for the spine and > 0.31%/yr at the total hip. When men were excluded from the analysis, there still was no significant bone loss for the placebo/T4 group, and confidence intervals did not change. The APD/T4 group showed increases in spine (4.3%, P = 0.0001), total hip (1.4%, P < 0.05), and trochanteric (3.0%, P = 0.0001) BMDs. In conclusion, premenopausal women and men on suppressive therapy with T4 do not lose bone rapidly, and are not at increased risk of developing osteoporosis. A regimen of 30 mg APD given every 3 months for 2 yr causes significant suppression of bone resorption and increases in BMD, and may be an acceptable alternative treatment for osteoporosis in patients who cannot tolerate oral bisphosphonates.