Long Term Effects of Oral Versus Transdermal Estrogen Replacement Therapy in Turner Syndrome
NCT ID: NCT06570460
Last Updated: 2024-08-26
Study Results
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.
RECRUITING
PHASE4
50 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2021-11-29
2026-12-31
Brief Summary
Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.
Related Clinical Trials
Explore similar clinical trials based on study characteristics and research focus.
Determining Dose Equivalence Between Oral and Transdermal Estrogen Treatment in Women With Turner Syndrome
NCT06544473
Comparison of Transdermal and Oral Estrogens in Adolescent Girls With Ovarian Failure
NCT01023178
A Study of Efficacy and Safety With the Transdermal Contraceptive System.
NCT00236769
Comparison of PKs of 17-Beta-Estradiol Via Sublingual Placement Versus Swallowing in Male-to-Female Transgender Patients
NCT05428215
Transdermal Contraceptive Patch - Endometrial Effects Study
NCT00896571
Detailed Description
Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.
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.
Study Design
Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.
RANDOMIZED
CROSSOVER
TREATMENT
NONE
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®)
17-beta estradiol
Treatment with orally administered estrogen for 6 months
Transdermal estrogen treatment
Turner syndrome patients receiving transdermal estrogen treatment (Divigel)
17-beta estradiol
Treatment with transdermally administered estrogen for 6 months
Controls
Healthy age-matched controls receiving no treatment
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
17-beta estradiol
Treatment with transdermally administered estrogen for 6 months
Other Intervention Names
Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.
Eligibility Criteria
Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.
Inclusion Criteria
* 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
* 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)
18 Years
50 Years
FEMALE
Yes
Sponsors
Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.
University of Aarhus
OTHER
Aarhus University Hospital
OTHER
Responsible Party
Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.
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
Countries
Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.
Central Contacts
Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.
Facility Contacts
Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.