Long Term Effects of Oral Versus Transdermal Estrogen Replacement Therapy in Turner Syndrome

NCT ID: NCT06570460

Last Updated: 2024-08-26

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

PHASE4

Total Enrollment

50 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-11-29

Study Completion Date

2026-12-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

This 14-month, phase IV, randomized controlled crossover trial aims to compare the effects of oral versus transdermal estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) in women with Turner syndrome (TS). The study's objectives are to clarify endocrine, metabolic, cardiovascular, and thromboembolic risk factors in TS after a wash-out period without estrogen (E2) treatment; compare the effects of oral versus transdermal (TD) ERT regimens; and examine the long-term effects of E2 administration via these two routes. The study involves 50 TS women aged 18-50 years and 50 control participants. TS participants are randomized to receive either oral or TD ERT for six months, followed by crossover to the alternate treatment for another six months. Prior to randomization, any existing ERT will be discontinued for a 1-month washout period. A second 1-month washout period will occur between the two 6-month treatment phases. Laboratory analyses and clinical investigations are performed after the first wash-out period, after the first six months of treatment, and after the last six months of treatment. We anticipate that this study may provide a basis for new and improved recommendations for sex hormone replacement therapy in TS.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

OBJECTIVES

1. Clarify endocrine, metabolic, cardiovascular and thromboembolic risk factors in Turner syndrome (TS) after a wash out period
2. Compare the effects of oral versus transdermal (TD) estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) in women with Turner syndrome
3. Examine long term effects of ERT via the two routes on endocrine, metabolic, cardiovascular, physiologic and thromboembolic risk endpoints

BACKGROUND Turner syndrome (TS) is a rare genetic condition affecting approximately 1 in 2,000 female births. A hallmark of TS is ovarian dysgenesis, leading to hypogonadism, premature ovarian failure, and infertility. Consequently, estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) is typically initiated around age 11-12 to induce puberty and continued until the average age of menopause (50-55 years), aiming for at least 42 years of adequate estrogen exposure.

Hypogonadism in TS is associated with various health complications. Importantly, estradiol (E2) replacement may mitigate these risks. Estrogen deficiency in TS affects cardiovascular health (hypertension, congenital cardiac disease, altered lipid profiles), metabolic function (diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, hepatic disorders, kidney disease, skeletal abnormalities), and is linked to neurocognitive and social challenges.

E2 can be administered orally or transdermally (TD), but it remains unclear whether either route offers specific advantages. There is ongoing debate regarding a potential increased thromboembolic risk in TS patients treated with oral E2. Epidemiological studies in postmenopausal women have reported an elevated thromboembolic risk associated with oral estrogen treatment, but to a lesser extent with TD administration. However, extrapolating data from postmenopausal women to TS patients is inappropriate, as women with TS receive estrogen as replacement therapy due to inadequate endogenous production. Furthermore, limited knowledge exists regarding the side effects of oral versus TD estrogen replacement therapy for TS patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study group:

Women aged 18-50 years with TS recruited primarily from the Department of Endocrinology at Aarhus University Hospital (n=50); 300 patients with TS are currently followed in the outpatient clinic. The investigators also have the opportunity to recruit from the Turner Association in Denmark, and finally the investigators do have contact with other outpatient clinics with TS patients in Denmark from where the investigators have previously recruited TS patients.

An age-matched control group of healthy women is included by advertisement (n=50).

Inclusion criteria:

For participants with TS:

* Diagnosis of TS regardless of karyotype
* Age 18-50 years
* Already receiving estrogen treatment

For healthy controls:

* Female
* Age 18-50 years
* Previously healthy
* Not receiving any medication
* Not using any form of contraceptive pills
* No mental or psychiatric disorders

Exclusion criteria:

* Active systemic chronic diseases
* Known or suspected breast cancer
* Known or suspected estradiol-dependent tumors (endometrial cancer or similar)
* Untreated endometrial hyperplasia
* Current or previous venous thromboembolism
* Acute or previous liver disease where liver enzymes are still elevated by a factor 3 or more
* Known hypersensitivity to the medications used
* Pregnancy
* Menopause (for the control group only)

Design:

A 14-month, phase IV, randomized controlled crossover study involving women with Turner Syndrome (TS) (n=50) and healthy, age-matched controls (n=50). TS participants are randomized to receive either oral or TD ERT for six months, followed by crossover to the alternate treatment for another six months. Prior to randomization, any existing ERT will be discontinued for a 1-month washout period. A second 1-month washout period will occur between the two 6-month treatment phases. Healthy controls will not receive any treatment. They will undergo a single set of assessments for comparison.

Laboratory analyses and clinical investigations will be conducted at the Department of Endocrinology and the associated Medical Research Unit at Aarhus University Hospital. These will include blood and urine sample collection, as well as specific clinical investigations. At baseline, both TS patients and healthy controls will undergo these assessments. Only TS patients will undergo follow-up assesments.

Clinical investigations:

* Insulin sensitivity assessment
* 24-hour blood pressure monitoring
* DEXA scan (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry)
* Bioelectrical impedance analysis (Multiplate)
* Comprehensive clinical examination
* Quality of life assessments using questionnaires
* SphygmoCor analysis
* VO2 max test using a stationary bike
* MRI of the thigh muscles to measure muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and intramuscular fat content
* Isometric muscle strength testing and functional testing

STATISTICS Data will be summarized by treatment group and assessment time point. The investigators will use a mixed model with repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare the mean changes in each of the study variables between treatments over time. When appropriate, transformations or nonparametric methods will be used. All tests are two-tailed with a 5% level of significance. Data are presented as mean ± SE or median with CI for metrics not normally distributed.

PERSPECTIVES Patients with TS undergo hormone replacement therapy from puberty to menopause, spanning more than 40 years of treatment. To date, only two experimental studies have compared oral and TD ERT in TS, focusing solely on metabolic parameters and finding no differences between the two regimens. If the investigators' hypotheses are correct and if the side effects, including increased thromboembolic risk, are higher with oral than TD ERT, this project could be crucial for optimizing treatment, improving quality of life, and reducing morbidity and mortality in TS. The investigators aim for this study to provide a basis for new and improved national and international recommendations for ERT in TS patients and to contribute new knowledge about hormonal treatment for the general population as well.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Turner Syndrome Hypogonadism; Ovarian Hormone Replacement Therapy Estrogen Replacement Therapy Estrogen Deficiency

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

CROSSOVER

A randomized controlled trial
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

The patients with TS will be randomized to receive either oral (tablet) or transdermal (gel) estrogen replacement therapy. The study is not blinded, as both investigator and study participants know which medication, they are receiving.

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Oral estrogen treatment

Turner syndrome patients receiving oral estrogen treatment (Estrofem®)

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

17-beta estradiol

Intervention Type DRUG

Treatment with orally administered estrogen for 6 months

Transdermal estrogen treatment

Turner syndrome patients receiving transdermal estrogen treatment (Divigel)

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

17-beta estradiol

Intervention Type DRUG

Treatment with transdermally administered estrogen for 6 months

Controls

Healthy age-matched controls receiving no treatment

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

17-beta estradiol

Treatment with orally administered estrogen for 6 months

Intervention Type DRUG

17-beta estradiol

Treatment with transdermally administered estrogen for 6 months

Intervention Type DRUG

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

Estrofem Divigel

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

For participants with TS:

* Diagnosis of TS regardless of karyotype
* Age 18-50 years
* Already receiving estrogen treatment

For healthy controls:

* Female
* Age 18-50 years
* Previously healthy
* Not receiving any medication
* Not using any form of contraceptive pills
* No mental or psychiatric disorders

Exclusion Criteria

* Active systemic chronic diseases
* Known or suspected breast cancer
* Known or suspected estradiol-dependent tumors (endometrial cancer or similar)
* Untreated endometrial hyperplasia
* Current or previous venous thromboembolism
* Acute or previous liver disease where liver enzymes are still elevated by a factor 3 or more
* Known hypersensitivity to the medications used
* Pregnancy
* Menopause (for the control group only)
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

50 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

University of Aarhus

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Aarhus University Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Claus H Gravholt, Professor

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Aarhus University Hospital

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital

Aarhus, Aarhus N, Denmark

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Denmark

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Camilla M Balle, Ph.d.-student

Role: CONTACT

40769623 ext. 0045

Claus H Gravholt, Professor

Role: CONTACT

78455470 ext. 0045

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Camilla M Balle, Ph.d.-student

Role: primary

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Stochholm K, Juul S, Juel K, Naeraa RW, Gravholt CH. Prevalence, incidence, diagnostic delay, and mortality in Turner syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Oct;91(10):3897-902. doi: 10.1210/jc.2006-0558. Epub 2006 Jul 18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16849410 (View on PubMed)

Gravholt CH, Andersen NH, Conway GS, Dekkers OM, Geffner ME, Klein KO, Lin AE, Mauras N, Quigley CA, Rubin K, Sandberg DE, Sas TCJ, Silberbach M, Soderstrom-Anttila V, Stochholm K, van Alfen-van derVelden JA, Woelfle J, Backeljauw PF; International Turner Syndrome Consensus Group. Clinical practice guidelines for the care of girls and women with Turner syndrome: proceedings from the 2016 Cincinnati International Turner Syndrome Meeting. Eur J Endocrinol. 2017 Sep;177(3):G1-G70. doi: 10.1530/EJE-17-0430.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28705803 (View on PubMed)

Hjerrild BE, Mortensen KH, Gravholt CH. Turner syndrome and clinical treatment. Br Med Bull. 2008;86:77-93. doi: 10.1093/bmb/ldn015. Epub 2008 Apr 9.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18400842 (View on PubMed)

Gravholt CH, Landin-Wilhelmsen K, Stochholm K, Hjerrild BE, Ledet T, Djurhuus CB, Sylven L, Baandrup U, Kristensen BO, Christiansen JS. Clinical and epidemiological description of aortic dissection in Turner's syndrome. Cardiol Young. 2006 Oct;16(5):430-6. doi: 10.1017/S1047951106000928.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16984695 (View on PubMed)

Mortensen KH, Andersen NH, Hjerrild BE, Horlyck A, Stochholm K, Hojbjerg Gravholt C. Carotid intima-media thickness is increased in Turner syndrome: multifactorial pathogenesis depending on age, blood pressure, cholesterol and oestrogen treatment. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2012 Dec;77(6):844-51. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2012.04337.x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22233516 (View on PubMed)

Mauger C, Lancelot C, Roy A, Coutant R, Cantisano N, Le Gall D. Executive Functions in Children and Adolescents with Turner Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Neuropsychol Rev. 2018 Jun;28(2):188-215. doi: 10.1007/s11065-018-9372-x. Epub 2018 Apr 27.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29704077 (View on PubMed)

Hansen M. Female hormones: do they influence muscle and tendon protein metabolism? Proc Nutr Soc. 2018 Feb;77(1):32-41. doi: 10.1017/S0029665117001951. Epub 2017 Aug 29.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28847313 (View on PubMed)

Greising SM, Baltgalvis KA, Lowe DA, Warren GL. Hormone therapy and skeletal muscle strength: a meta-analysis. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2009 Oct;64(10):1071-81. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glp082. Epub 2009 Jun 26.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19561145 (View on PubMed)

Canonico M, Plu-Bureau G, Lowe GD, Scarabin PY. Hormone replacement therapy and risk of venous thromboembolism in postmenopausal women: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2008 May 31;336(7655):1227-31. doi: 10.1136/bmj.39555.441944.BE. Epub 2008 May 20.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18495631 (View on PubMed)

Renoux C, Dell'aniello S, Garbe E, Suissa S. Transdermal and oral hormone replacement therapy and the risk of stroke: a nested case-control study. BMJ. 2010 Jun 3;340:c2519. doi: 10.1136/bmj.c2519.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20525678 (View on PubMed)

Sweetland S, Beral V, Balkwill A, Liu B, Benson VS, Canonico M, Green J, Reeves GK; Million Women Study Collaborators. Venous thromboembolism risk in relation to use of different types of postmenopausal hormone therapy in a large prospective study. J Thromb Haemost. 2012 Nov;10(11):2277-86. doi: 10.1111/j.1538-7836.2012.04919.x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22963114 (View on PubMed)

Gravholt CH, Naeraa RW, Fisker S, Christiansen JS. Body composition and physical fitness are major determinants of the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor axis aberrations in adult Turner's syndrome, with important modulations by treatment with 17 beta-estradiol. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997 Aug;82(8):2570-7. doi: 10.1210/jcem.82.8.4127.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9253336 (View on PubMed)

Taboada M, Santen R, Lima J, Hossain J, Singh R, Klein KO, Mauras N. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of oral and transdermal 17beta estradiol in girls with Turner syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Nov;96(11):3502-10. doi: 10.1210/jc.2011-1449. Epub 2011 Aug 31.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21880799 (View on PubMed)

Torres-Santiago L, Mericq V, Taboada M, Unanue N, Klein KO, Singh R, Hossain J, Santen RJ, Ross JL, Mauras N. Metabolic effects of oral versus transdermal 17beta-estradiol (E(2)): a randomized clinical trial in girls with Turner syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Jul;98(7):2716-24. doi: 10.1210/jc.2012-4243. Epub 2013 May 15.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23678038 (View on PubMed)

Gravholt CH, Naeraa RW, Nyholm B, Gerdes LU, Christiansen E, Schmitz O, Christiansen JS. Glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and cardiovascular risk factors in adult Turner's syndrome. The impact of sex hormone replacement. Diabetes Care. 1998 Jul;21(7):1062-70. doi: 10.2337/diacare.21.7.1062.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9653596 (View on PubMed)

Klein KO, Baron J, Colli MJ, McDonnell DP, Cutler GB Jr. Estrogen levels in childhood determined by an ultrasensitive recombinant cell bioassay. J Clin Invest. 1994 Dec;94(6):2475-80. doi: 10.1172/JCI117616.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 7989605 (View on PubMed)

Klein KO, Rosenfield RL, Santen RJ, Gawlik AM, Backeljauw PF, Gravholt CH, Sas TCJ, Mauras N. Estrogen Replacement in Turner Syndrome: Literature Review and Practical Considerations. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2018 May 1;103(5):1790-1803. doi: 10.1210/jc.2017-02183.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29438552 (View on PubMed)

Berglund A, Stochholm K, Gravholt CH. The epidemiology of sex chromosome abnormalities. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet. 2020 Jun;184(2):202-215. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.c.31805. Epub 2020 Jun 7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32506765 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

AU2019TS2

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

Birth Control Patch Study
NCT00984789 COMPLETED PHASE3