The Medical Treatment of Endometriosis with Danazol
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2807400530 1 Hill THE MEDICAL TREATMENT OF ENDOMETRIOSIS WITH DANAZOL AND GESTRINONE A STUDY OF THEIR CLINICAL, ENDOCRINE AND IN VITRO EFFECTS A Thesis Presented for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine University of London By GILLIAN LINDA ROSE 1990 1 ProQuest Number: U043658 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest U043658 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 ABSTRACT This thesis describes an investigation of the clinical efficacy and mechanisms of action of danazol and the newer steroidal agent, gestrinone in the medical management of endometriosis. A prospective randomized double-blind study was performed on 51 patients treated with either danazol or gestrinone. The efficacy and tolerance of the two drugs were shown to be similar. The endocrine effects of danazol and gestrinone were found to be analogous. Treatment with both drugs resulted in early follicular phase levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone and oestradiol, a fall in sex hormone binding globulin and an increase in percent free testosterone and the concentration of free testosterone. The latter is significantly related to the improvement in endometriosis seen during treatment. Although vaginal bleeding and oestradiol levels during therapy are also significantly related, neither of these parauneters correlate with effective elimination of endometriosis. The effect of gestrinone, danazol and the two major metabolites of danazol, ethisterone and 2-hydroxymethyl ethisterone were tested on endometrial tissue cells, Used as a model for endometriotic tissue, cultured in vitro. In view of the increase in free testosterone observed during treatment with the drugs, the effect of testosterone was 2 also examined. Danazol and testosterone at one and ten times the normal circulating concentrations caused a significant suppression of endometrial cell growth in vitro, but gestrinone, ethisterone and 2-hydroxymethyl ethisterone caused no effect. 3 This thesis is dedicated to my parents, Joyce and Cyril Rose. INDEX SECTION 1 PAGE 19 INTRODUCTION Chapter 1 PAGE 20 The aetiology, epidemiology and histogenesis of endometriosis Chapter 2 PAGE 47 The medical treatment of endometriosis SECTION 2 PAGE 66 THE CLINICAL EFFECTS OF DANAZOL AND GESTRINONE. A RANDOMIZED DOUBLE-BLIND STUDY Chapter 3 .............................................PAGE 67 Review of the clinical effects of danazol and gestrinone in the treatment of endometriosis Chapter 4.............................................PAGE 85 Study design and methods Chapter 5.............................................PAGE 94 Results Chapter 6.............................................PAGE 140 Discussion SECTION 3 PAGE 150 THE ENDOCRINE EFFECTS OF DANAZOL AND GESTRINONE Chapter 7............................................. PAGE 151 Review of the endocrine effects of danazol and gestrinone Chapter 8............................................. PAGE 165 Materials and methods Chapter 9............................................. PAGE 175 Results Chapter 10............................................ PAGE 208 Discussion 5 SECTION 4 PAGE 218 THE INVESTIGATION OF DANAZOL, DANAZOL METABOLITES, GESTRINONE, AND TESTOSTERONE ON THE GROWTH OF HUMAN ENDOMETRIAL CELLS IN VITRO Chapter 11........................................... PAGE 219 Previous experience in endometrial cell culture; a review Chapter 12........................................... PAGE 232 Materials and Methods Chapter 13........................................... PAGE 241 Results Chapter 14........................................... PAGE 258 Discussion SECTION 5.......................... ; PAGE 269 CONCLUSIONS AND SUMMARY Chapter 15 PAGE 270 Overall conclusions and the implications for future research REFERENCES................................... PAGE 279 APPENDIX..................................... PAGE 310 6 INDEX TO TABLES SECTION 1 TABLE 1.1 PAGE 22 Theories of the aetiology of endometriosis TABLE 1.2................................................ PAGE 28 Volume of peritoneal fluid in normal ovulatory women SECTION 2 TABLE 2.1................................................ PAGE 69 Symptomatic, clinical and laparoscopic assessment of danazol therapy. Results of previous series TABLE 2.2 PAGE 72 Fertility rates following danazol therapy. Results of previous studies TABLE 2.3................................................ PAGE 74 Recurrence rate after danazol treatment. Results of previous studies TABLE 2.4 PAGE 99 Symptoms before and during treatment with gestrinone and danazol: dysmenorrhoea TABLE 2.5.................................................PAGE 101 Symptoms before and during treatment with gestrinone and danazol:deep dyspareunia TABLE 2.6.................................................PAGE 103 Symptoms before and during treatment with gestrinone and danazol: superficial dyspareunia TABLE 2.7 PAGE 105 Symptoms before and during treatment with gestrinone and danazol: lower abdominal pain TABLE 2.8 PAGE 108 The incidence of expected side effects prior to treatment with gestrinone and danazol TABLE 2.9.................................................PAGE 110 The individual total AFS score pre- and post-treatment with gestrinone TABLE 2.10 PAGE 111 The individual endometriosis scores pre- and post-treatment with gestrinone TABLE 2.11 PAGE 112 The individual adhesion scores pre- and post-treatment with gestrinone 7- TABLE 2.12............................................. PAGE 113 The individual total AFS scores pre- and post-treatment with danazol TABLE 2.13............................................... PAGE 114 The individual endometriosis scores pre- and post-treatment with danazol TABLE 2.14.............................................. PAGE 115 The individual adhesion scores pre- and post-treatment with danazol TABLE 2.15.............................................. PAGE 116 The distribution of endometriosis scores into none, mild, moderate and severe, in patients before treatment with gestrinone and danazol TABLE 2.16.............................................. PAGE 118 The change in endometriosis, AFS and adhesion scores following six months' treatment with gestrinone and danazol TABLE 2.17.............................................. PAGE 117 The distribution of endometriosis scores into none, mild, moderate and severe, after treatment with gestrinone or danazol TABLE 2.18.............................................. PAGE 124 Subjective side effects before and during treatment with gestrinone and danazol: acne TABLE 2.19.............................................. PAGE 127 Subjective side effects before and during treatment with gestrinone and danazol: seborrhoea TABLE 2.20.............................................. PAGE 128 Subjective side effects before and during treatment with gestrinone and danazol: hirsutism TABLE 2.21............................................... PAGE 131 Subjective side effects before and during treatment with gestrinone and danazol: voice change TABLE 2.22.............................................. PAGE 133 Subjective side effects before and during treatment with gestrinone and danazol: headaches TABLE 2.23.............................................. PAGE 135 Subjective side effects before and during treatment with gestrinone and danazol: leg cramps TABLE 2. 24...............................................VPAGE 138 Subjective side effects before and during treatment with gestrinone and danazol: hot flushes 8’ SECTION 3 TABLE 3.1................................................. PAGE 176 Summary of the effects of gestrinone on mean ± SEM serum concentration of hormones (normal distribution) TABLE 3.2............................................... PAGE 177 Summary of the effects of danazol on mean + SEM serum concentration of hormones (normal distribution) TABLE 3.3 PAGE 178 Summary of the effects of gestrinone on geometric mean serum concentration of hormones (With upper and lower 95% confidence intervals) TABLE 3.4 PAGE 179 Summary of the effects of danazol on geometric mean serum concentrations of hormones (with upper and lower 95% confidence intervals) TABLE 3.5........ ! PAGE 180 Key to units and normal ranges for hormone values shown in tables 3.1-3.4 TABLE 3.6 PAGE 190 The effect of drugs on the mesurement of SHBG binding capacity in a pool of normal female serum SECTION 4 TABLE 4.1 PAGE 238 Plating efficiency of endometrial cells after 24 hours in culture TABLE 4.2.................................................PAGE 242 Relationship between cycle length and day of endometrial sampling TABLE 4.3 PAGE 244 Results from cells cultured from patient no. 6 the effect of gestrinone, danazol and testosterone at Xi and X10. TABLE 4.4 PAGE 245 The effect of treatment at XI dose on endometrial growth in vitro TABLE 4.5 PAGE 246 The effect of drug treatment at X10 dose on endometrial cell growth in vitro » TABLE 4.6.................................................PAGE 252 Results from cells cultured from patient no. 7. The effect