Estradiol Supplementation and Rotator Cuff Repair

NCT ID: NCT06318403

Last Updated: 2025-01-22

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: PHASE2
• Total Enrollment: 58 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2026-03-31
• Study Completion Date: 2028-12-31

Brief Summary

Rotator cuff tears in the shoulder are common causes of pain and disability, often fail to heal with surgery, and tears, worse outcomes after surgery, and failure of healing are associated with estradiol deficiency. In this study, post-menopausal women will be randomized to either estradiol patches or placebo patches after repair of the rotator cuff. The purpose of this study is to determine whether estradiol patches show promise in improving shoulder pain, strength, muscle volumes, and function when given with rotator cuff repair.

Detailed Description

Injuries to the rotator cuff are among the most common musculoskeletal complaints and are increasing in incidence. Multiple studies have demonstrated that rotator cuff repair (RCR) improves outcomes for rotator cuff tears. Over 500,000 RCRs are performed in the US annually. When both surgical and non-operative treatment are included, rotator cuff injuries cost the United States over $5 billion dollars annually. After RCR, tendon healing fails to occur in >20% of patients. Improving tendon healing is thus a critical barrier to success. The field has arrived at a consensus that improving tendon biology is the key to improving tendon healing. Our prior human and animal research demonstrates that estradiol deficiency contributes to rotator cuff injuries and poor outcomes after RCR and estradiol supplementation improves RCR healing and outcomes. With this study we propose to translate these promising and compelling findings into improved clinical care of patients with rotator cuff injuries. Estradiol deficiency can be treated with hormone therapy (HT), which is widely utilized, well-tolerated, inexpensive, and FDA approved. In this study, we will conduct a phase II study of the efficacy and feasibility of HT within the setting of RCR. We hypothesize that compliance and response rates will be high while adverse events will be infrequent and equally common with estradiol patches and placebo patches. We also hypothesize that outcomes and healing will be better in the HT group than the control group. To test these hypotheses, we will conduct a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial to measure recruitment and retention rates, compliance with treatment, response to treatment of serum hormone levels, estimated effect size for power calculations, and adverse events. Postoperatively, we will evaluate validated patient-reported outcomes and tendon healing and rotator cuff muscle volumes utilizing magnetic resonance imaging. If efficacy and tolerability are demonstrated, a future large, multi-center, randomized clinical trial will be warranted. We expect these data will support the use of estradiol as a promising approach to improved healing and outcomes, supporting a future, larger, well-powered, multi-centered randomized clinical trial with longer follow-up. Such a study could improve the treatment of people with rotator cuff injuries, thereby decreasing a source of significant disability. If our hypotheses are confirmed, it would shift the paradigm on the treatment of problems with tendons and their attachments to bone throughout the body.

Conditions

Rotator Cuff Tears; Rotator Cuff Injuries; Rotator Cuff Syndrome; Menopause Related Conditions; Menopause

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: QUADRUPLE

Study Groups

Transdermal estradiol patches

All patients will receive patches with identical labeling from our pharmacy, to be applied twice weekly. In the study group, these will contain 0.025 mg/day of estradiol. In the control group, these will be placebo. These will be applied twice weekly for three months beginning at the time of surgery and extending for three months after surgery.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Transdermal estrogen

Intervention Type: DRUG

All patients will receive patches with identical labeling from our pharmacy, to be applied twice weekly. In the study group, these will contain 0.025 mg/day of estradiol. In the control group, these will be placebo. These will be applied twice weekly for three months beginning at the time of surgery and extending for three months after surgery.

Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

The operative protocol will be standardized in all patients. Both the operative protocol and post-operative rehabilitation protocol will be per our standard of care, without alteration. An arthroscopic approach will be used. In all cases a double-row rotator cuff repair using triple-loaded anchor(s) on the medial row will be used. Post-operatively all patients will be placed in a sling for six weeks. Active range of motion exercises will begin at six weeks post-operatively and strengthening will be delayed until 12 weeks post-operatively. In all phases of care our peri-operative and post-operative protocol for study patients will be similar to our current clinical practice to ensure generalizability.

Placebo patches

All patients will receive patches with identical labeling from our pharmacy, to be applied twice weekly. In the study group, these will contain 0.025 mg/day of estradiol. In the control group, these will be placebo. These will be applied twice weekly for three months beginning at the time of surgery and extending for three months after surgery.

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

The operative protocol will be standardized in all patients. Both the operative protocol and post-operative rehabilitation protocol will be per our standard of care, without alteration. An arthroscopic approach will be used. In all cases a double-row rotator cuff repair using triple-loaded anchor(s) on the medial row will be used. Post-operatively all patients will be placed in a sling for six weeks. Active range of motion exercises will begin at six weeks post-operatively and strengthening will be delayed until 12 weeks post-operatively. In all phases of care our peri-operative and post-operative protocol for study patients will be similar to our current clinical practice to ensure generalizability.

Interventions

Transdermal estrogen

All patients will receive patches with identical labeling from our pharmacy, to be applied twice weekly. In the study group, these will contain 0.025 mg/day of estradiol. In the control group, these will be placebo. These will be applied twice weekly for three months beginning at the time of surgery and extending for three months after surgery.

Intervention Type: DRUG

Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery

The operative protocol will be standardized in all patients. Both the operative protocol and post-operative rehabilitation protocol will be per our standard of care, without alteration. An arthroscopic approach will be used. In all cases a double-row rotator cuff repair using triple-loaded anchor(s) on the medial row will be used. Post-operatively all patients will be placed in a sling for six weeks. Active range of motion exercises will begin at six weeks post-operatively and strengthening will be delayed until 12 weeks post-operatively. In all phases of care our peri-operative and post-operative protocol for study patients will be similar to our current clinical practice to ensure generalizability.

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. A plan for a primary rotator cuff repair

2. Female sex (assigned sex at birth)

3. >1 cm tear width, full thickness supraspinatus/infraspinatus tear

4. Post-menopausal, as defined by at least twelve months since last menses

5. Age 50-80

Exclusion Criteria

1. Active infection

2. Baseline serum estradiol >20 pg/mL

3. Infraspinatus or supraspinatus muscle atrophy of greater than or equal to Goutallier grade 3

4. Pre-operative systemic estradiol supplementation

5. Medically unfit for operative intervention

6. Revision surgery

7. Unwillingness to participate in the study, including post-operative imaging

8. Inability to read or comprehend written instructions

9. Prisoner

10. Concomitant patch augmentation or tendon-transfer

11. Breast cancer or a history of breast cancer or other estradiol-dependent neoplasia

12. Liver disease as documented in the medical record

13. Active venous thromboembolic disease, such as deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, a history of these conditions, or a known predisposition to these disorders (such as Protein C, protein S, or antithrombin deficiency)

14. Active arterial thromboembolic disease, such as stroke, myocardiac infarction, a history of these conditions, or a known predisposition to these disorders

15. Isolated subscapularis tears

16. Known anaphylactic reaction or hypersensitivity to estradiol, adhesive, or transdermal patches

• Minimum Eligible Age: 50 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 80 Years
• Eligible Sex: FEMALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of Utah

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Peter Chalmers

Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Central Contacts

Peter Chalmers, MD

Role: CONTACT

chalmerspractice@hsc.utah.edu

8015870063

Other Identifiers

177012

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id