TY - JOUR
T1 - Systemic and local effects of vaginal dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
T2 - NCCTG N10C1 (Alliance)
AU - Barton, Debra L.
AU - Shuster, Lynne T.
AU - Dockter, Travis
AU - Atherton, Pamela J.
AU - Thielen, Jacqueline
AU - Birrell, Stephen N.
AU - Sood, Richa
AU - Griffin, Patricia
AU - Terstriep, Shelby A.
AU - Mattar, Bassam
AU - Lafky, Jacqueline M.
AU - Loprinzi, Charles L.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (grant UG1CA189823, to the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology NCORP Grant) and also in part by the Public Health Service (grants U10CA025224, U10CA035090, U10CA035101, U10CA035103, U10CA035113, U10CA035119, U10CA035267, U10CA035269, U10CA035415, U10CA035431, U10CA035448, U10CA037404, U10CA037417, U10CA052352, U10CA063848, U10CA063849, U10CA180790, UG1CA189863, and UG1CA189971). This work was also supported in part by funds from a grant from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Funding Information:
Conflict of interest This study was supported by the National Cancer Institute and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. None of the authors have any conflicts of interest with either of these two funding agencies. The work is solely that of the authors and does not reflect the views of the funding agencies. The data is under the control of the Statistics and Data Management group of the Alliance and can be produced in support of the analysis described in this paper, if required.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2018/4/1
Y1 - 2018/4/1
N2 - Background: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is helpful for treating vaginal symptoms. This secondary analysis evaluated the impact of vaginal DHEA on hormone concentrations, bone turnover, and vaginal cytology in women with a cancer history. Methods: Postmenopausal women, diagnosed with breast or gynecologic cancer, were eligible if they reported at least moderate vaginal symptoms. Participants could be on tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors (AIs). Women were randomized to 3.25 versus 6.5 mg/day of DHEA versus a plain moisturizer (PM) control. Sex steroid hormone levels, biomarkers of bone formation, vaginal pH, and maturation index were collected at baseline and 12 weeks. Analysis included independent t tests and Wilcoxon rank tests, comparing each DHEA arm with the control. Results: Three hundred forty-five women contributed evaluable blood and 46 contributed evaluable cytology and pH values. Circulating DHEA-S and testosterone levels were significantly increased in those on vaginal DHEA in a dose-dependent manner compared to PM. Estradiol was significantly increased in those on 6.5 mg/day DHEA but not in those on 3.25 mg/day DHEA (p < 0.05 and p = 0.05, respectively), and not in those on AIs. Biomarkers of bone formation were unchanged in all arms. Maturation of vaginal cells was 100% (3.25 mg/day), 86% (6.5 mg/day), and 64% (PM); pH decreased more in DHEA arms. Conclusion: DHEA resulted in increased hormone concentrations, though still in the lowest half or quartile of the postmenopausal range, and provided more favorable effects on vaginal cytology, compared to PM. Estrogen concentrations in women on AIs were not changed. Further research on the benefit of vaginal DHEA is warranted in hormone-dependent cancers.
AB - Background: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is helpful for treating vaginal symptoms. This secondary analysis evaluated the impact of vaginal DHEA on hormone concentrations, bone turnover, and vaginal cytology in women with a cancer history. Methods: Postmenopausal women, diagnosed with breast or gynecologic cancer, were eligible if they reported at least moderate vaginal symptoms. Participants could be on tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors (AIs). Women were randomized to 3.25 versus 6.5 mg/day of DHEA versus a plain moisturizer (PM) control. Sex steroid hormone levels, biomarkers of bone formation, vaginal pH, and maturation index were collected at baseline and 12 weeks. Analysis included independent t tests and Wilcoxon rank tests, comparing each DHEA arm with the control. Results: Three hundred forty-five women contributed evaluable blood and 46 contributed evaluable cytology and pH values. Circulating DHEA-S and testosterone levels were significantly increased in those on vaginal DHEA in a dose-dependent manner compared to PM. Estradiol was significantly increased in those on 6.5 mg/day DHEA but not in those on 3.25 mg/day DHEA (p < 0.05 and p = 0.05, respectively), and not in those on AIs. Biomarkers of bone formation were unchanged in all arms. Maturation of vaginal cells was 100% (3.25 mg/day), 86% (6.5 mg/day), and 64% (PM); pH decreased more in DHEA arms. Conclusion: DHEA resulted in increased hormone concentrations, though still in the lowest half or quartile of the postmenopausal range, and provided more favorable effects on vaginal cytology, compared to PM. Estrogen concentrations in women on AIs were not changed. Further research on the benefit of vaginal DHEA is warranted in hormone-dependent cancers.
KW - Postmenopause
KW - Vaginal dehydroepiandrosterone
KW - Vaginal symptoms
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85034653458&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85034653458&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00520-017-3960-9
DO - 10.1007/s00520-017-3960-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 29164377
AN - SCOPUS:85034653458
VL - 26
SP - 1335
EP - 1343
JO - Supportive Care in Cancer
JF - Supportive Care in Cancer
SN - 0941-4355
IS - 4
ER -