Hormone replacement therapy toxicity

Monitor a patient taking hormone-replacement therapy for efficacy and toxicity. 

The therapeutic use of homologous human proteins - including insulin, growth hormone, and colony stimulating factors - in replacement therapy, has been adequately supported by subchronic toxicity studies in animal species reactive to their pharmacological or physiological effects. Extension to chronic studies has usually not provided valuable additional safety information. 

Additionally, MMPIs are not expected to replace currently used, proven-effective modalities of cancer treatment such as radiotherapy, hormonal/chemotherapy, or surgery. It is predicted that they will be clinically developed for use in combination with these agents. As expected, given nonoverlapping toxicities and differing mechanisms of action, MMPIs have been combined preclinically with radiation therapy (4), cytotoxic (5-9), resultant additive or supraadditive efficacy. With these data in mind, the ability to combine an MMPI with radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy may become an important feature in the ultimate clinical success of these agents. 

Thyroid hormones are used either to replace the failing function of the thyroid gland (spontaneous or drug-induced) or to suppress the endocrine function of abnormal thyroid tissues (especially non-toxic struma or goiter or after thyroidectomy for thyroid neoplasms). Although there are abnormalities of the peripheral metabolism of thyroid hormones in some forms of undernutrition or overnutrition, thyroid drug therapy cannot be considered a safe way of treating obesity. 

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