Efficacy and Safety of Ultra-Low Dose 0.005% Estriol Vaginal Gel for The
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CE: M.S.; MENO-D-19-00232; Total nos of Pages: 9; MENO-D-19-00232 Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society Vol. 27, No. 5, pp. 000-000 DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001497 ß 2020 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The North American Menopause Society. ORIGINAL STUDY Efficacy and safety of ultra-low dose 0.005% estriol vaginal gel for the treatment of vulvovaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women with 03/09/2020 on IbP6ucUoyYhDIIYZ2a1LAqNlU+Pi92DFG9g7v1G0IKKDyhq928jWtXAvGuljgwBTIYwurRXbeNIEzlxbJJyU6w2JUAXr9JXOtXyXEA+xBMGW0UzalbXawhIhj2z5e1ouU+iF4dPo6gTBTv8RxGm6Y3O+PPjrpXma by https://journals.lww.com/menopausejournal from Downloaded early breast cancer treated with nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors: Downloaded a phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial from 1 2 3 https://journals.lww.com/menopausejournal Angelica Linde´n Hirschberg, MD, PhD, Pedro Sa´nchez-Rovira, MD, PhD, Jesu´s Presa-Lorite, MD, Miriam Campos-Delgado, MD,4 Miguel Gil-Gil, MD,5 Elisabet Lidbrink, MD, PhD,6 Javier Sua´rez-Almarza, Pharm, BSND,7 and Concepcio´n Nieto-Magro, MD, PhD7 Abstract Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of ultra-low dose 0.005% estriol vaginal gel in women with breast by IbP6ucUoyYhDIIYZ2a1LAqNlU+Pi92DFG9g7v1G0IKKDyhq928jWtXAvGuljgwBTIYwurRXbeNIEzlxbJJyU6w2JUAXr9JXOtXyXEA+xBMGW0UzalbXawhIhj2z5e1ouU+iF4dPo6gTBTv8RxGm6Y3O+PPjrpXma cancer receiving nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors (NSAIs) and experiencing treatment-related vulvovaginal symptoms and signs. Methods: Women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer receiving NSAIs were randomized to either estriol vaginal gel or placebo for 12 weeks. Vaginal maturation, vaginal pH, and total and individual scores of symptoms and signs of vulvovaginal atrophy were assessed at baseline and at weeks 3 and 12; sexual functioning was also evaluated using the Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI) questionnaire, as well as circulating estrogens, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). Results: Sixty-one women with a mean age of 59 years were included: 50 received 0.005% estriol vaginal gel and 11 received placebo. Active treatment significantlyimprovedmaturationvalueandpH,vaginaldrynessandglobalscoresof symptoms and signs. Active treatment also increased the total FSFI score and all the FSFI domains, with the exception of pain. Small oscillations were observed in FSH and LH, which remained within the postmenopausal range. Estriol levels increased initially and normalized by week 12, and estradiol and estrone remained mostly undetectable throughout the study. Conclusions: Ultra-low dose 0.005% estriol vaginal gel showed efficacy in improving the symptoms and signs of vulvovaginal atrophy. These results, together with minimal oscillations in hormonal levels throughout the treatment, support the use of ultra-low dose 0.005% estriol vaginal gel as a treatment option for vulvovaginal atrophy in women with breast cancer receiving NSAIs with an indication for treatment with vaginal estrogens. Key Words: Aromatase inhibitors – Breast cancer – Estriol – Vaginal atrophy. Video Summary: http://links.lww.com/MENO/A531. Received July 22, 2019; revised and accepted November 4, 2019. Novartis, and Daiichi; and grants for attending conferences from Roche, From the 1Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Kern-Pharma, and Pfizer. MG-G has received fees as consultant or Institute and Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, advisory board member from Pfizer, Novartis, Roche, and Eisai, and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; 2Department of grants for attending conferences from Pfizer and Roche. AL-H has Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario de Jae´n, Jae´n, Spain; received a grant from ITF Research Pharma for attending a conference. 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital Universitario M C-D, EL, and JP-L report no conflicts of interest. JS and CN are full de Jae´n, Jae´n, Spain; 4Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, time employees of ITF Research Pharma. Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barce- Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL lona, Spain; 5Breast Cancer Unit, Institut Catala` d’Oncologia, IDI- citations are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on BELL, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; 6Patient area the journal’s Website (www.menopause.org). Breast cancer, Endocrine tumors and Sarcoma, Department of Medical Address correspondence to: Angelica Linde´n Hirschberg, MD, PhD, on Oncology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; and Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institute and 03/09/2020 7 Medical Department, Italfarmaco, S.A., Madrid, Spain. Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Karolinska Funding/support: This work was supported by ITF Research Pharma, University Hospital, SE 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail: angelica. SLU Spain [email protected] Financial disclosure/conflicts of interest: PS-R has participated in edu- This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons cational activities sponsored by Roche, Kern-Pharma, Pfizer, Novartis, Attribution License 4.0 (CCBY), which permits unrestricted use, distri- and Astra Zeneca; has received research support from Roche, BMS, and bution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is Merck; fees as consultant or advisory board member from Roche, Pfizer, properly cited. Menopause, Vol. 27, No. 5, 2020 1 ß 2020 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc., on behalf of The North American Menopause Society. All rights reserved. CE: M.S.; MENO-D-19-00232; Total nos of Pages: 9; MENO-D-19-00232 HIRSCHBERG ET AL reast cancer survivors (BCSs) who initiate adjuvant MATERIAL AND METHODS therapy with nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors Study design and population B (NSAIs) experience various genitourinary signs This was a phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo- and symptoms associated with menopausal stage. This clini- controlled, international, multicenter study for assessing the cal condition, currently encompassed within the term ‘‘geni- safety and efficacy of 0.005% estriol vaginal gel in the tourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM),’’ are mainly treatment of symptoms of vulvovaginal atrophy. The study attributed to vulvovaginal atrophy and include genital (ie included postmenopausal women with hormone receptor- dryness, burning, and irritation), sexual (ie, lack of lubrica- positive (and any HER2 status) early breast cancer (stage tion, discomfort, and pain), and urinary problems (ie, urgency, I-IIIA) who had been treated with NSAI (ie, either anastrozole 1,2 dysuria, and recurrent urinary tract infections). Intense or letrozole) for at least six months. Participants were estrogen deprivation associated with NSAI therapy increases recruited from five Spanish sites and one Swedish site during the severity of GSM symptoms, which negatively impact a routine follow-up visit between April 2015 and October patients’ quality of life and may consequently compromise 2016. Postmenopausal status was defined as 12 months of 2-4 their compliance with adjuvant endocrine therapy. spontaneous amenorrhea, or 6 months of spontaneous amen- Symptoms associated with vulvovaginal atrophy appear in orrhea with serum FSH levels greater than 40 mIU/mL, or 50% to 75% of BCSs, the most common being vaginal dryness 6 weeks postsurgical bilateral oophorectomy, with or without 5-7 and dyspareunia. To alleviate these and other vulvovaginal hysterectomy. All patients had moderate-to-severe vaginal symptoms such as itching and burning, vaginal moisturizers dryness according to the FDA guidelines for drug develop- 2,4 and lubricants are recommended as first-line therapy. ment in postmenopausal women (Center for Drug Evaluation However, these products only provide temporary symptom- and Research, CDER January 2003). A moderate symptom atic relief, and do not restore the normal function of vaginal was considered if the symptom was present, bothersome and 2,4,8 tissue. Conversely, local hormonal treatments have annoying, and a severe symptom was considered if the proven efficacy in reversing vulvovaginal atrophy associated symptom was present, bothersome and annoying, and inter- with estrogen depletion, although their use in BCSs is con- fered with the normal activity. Other inclusion criteria were a 4,8,9 troversial due to the risk of increasing estrogen levels. score 0 or 1 in the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group In this regard, low-dose local estrogen treatments are con- performance status (ECOG), and an adequate bone marrow sidered to have a lower risk profile compared to standard doses and organ function. Patients treated with another antitumoral 10,11 and have shown efficacy in several studies in BCSs. therapy (excluding pamidronate or alendronate) and those Among the variety of local treatments, ultra-low dose of who received vulvovaginal treatment in the 15 days before the 0.005% estriol vaginal gel has shown a favorable pharmacoki- study start, and/or had used hormones, natural (phytoestro- netic and safety profile (ie, a negligible increase of serum estriol gens) or herbal products to treat menopausal symptoms in the levels after three weeks of daily use) and efficacy in reversing 3 months before the study start were excluded from the study. vulvovaginal symptoms in healthy postmenopausal women Other important exclusion criteria