ClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT00497458ART2Updated Apr 9, 2009

Androgen Therapy for Breast Cancer Patients With Aromatase Inhibitor Induced Side-Effects

A Phase 2 interventional study of Testosterone in Breast Cancer, Arthralgia and Osteoporosis, sponsored by Havah Therapeutics Pty Ltd. Status unknown at 1 site in Australia. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 85 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2009-04-09.

Sponsored by Havah Therapeutics Pty Ltd · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified Apr 2009), so the status shown — last known as Active, not recruiting — may be out of date.
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
90
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 85 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether increasing blood levels of androgen can reduce some of the side-effects of anti-estrogen therapy (Arimidex)

Read the detailed description

Anastrozole (Arimidex®) is a selective aromatase inhibitor (a drug that interferes with the making of oestrogens). Reduction in serum oestrogen levels in a hormone-receptor positive breast cancer patient is clearly beneficial in delaying the regrowth of breast cancer cells in the body. Anastrozole is effective in reducing serum oestrogen levels which results in several significant side-effects with 2 being of significant importance; joint pain and stiffness and bone thinning or osteoporosis. The question being asked in this trial is if replacement of testosterone to women receiving Anastrozole can have a reduction in these 2 common side-effects. Women normally have circulating in their blood 3 major sex hormones: oestrogen, testosterone and progesterone. Each of these is produced by the ovaries. Oestrogen is also made throughout the body but particularly in body fat. Testosterone can also be made in other parts of the body from hormones (DHEA and DHEAS) that are produced by the adrenal glands. At the time of natural menopause, surgical removal of the ovaries or destruction of the ovaries by chemotherapy, oestrogen and progesterone levels fall precipitously. Testosterone levels however fall more gradually with increasing age such that a woman in her forties has on average only half of the testosterone circulating in her bloodstream as does a woman in her twenties. After a woman has her ovaries removed by surgery or destroyed by chemotherapy testosterone levels can fall by up to fifty percent. However testosterone does not change across menopause, although this varies somewhat between women. Testosterone is known to have many physiological roles in women. Firstly, oestrogen is actually made from testosterone, and without the ability of our bodies to make testosterone we cannot make oestrogen. Testosterone appears to have direct independent effects in different parts of the body, and some women may experience a variety of physical symptoms when their blood levels fall. Anastrazole almost completely blocks the formation of oestrogen from testosterone. Thus the question being asked in this trial is, can increasing the blood level of testosterone reduce specific side-effects caused by reduction availability of hormones in joints and bones.

02

Conditions studied

  • Breast Cancer
  • Arthralgia
  • Osteoporosis

Keywords

  • breast
  • neoplasms
  • anastrazole
  • testosterone
03

In context

Breast Neoplasms

14,825 studies on the registry are indexed under Breast Neoplasms; 3,319 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 90 is above the median of 72 across 10,896 interventional studies indexed under Breast Neoplasms.

Browse Breast Neoplasms studies →

Lead sponsor

Havah Therapeutics Pty Ltd is the lead sponsor of 3 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 85 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Provision of written
  • Undergone a total mastectomy, a lumpectomy or a quadrantectomy for primary breast cancer +/-chemo, +/-radiotherapy
  • Have commenced anastrozole therapy within the previous 6 months
  • Presence of node negative or positive disease
  • Receptor-positive tumors, defined as ER ≥10% of the tumor cells positive by immunocytochemical evaluation
  • whether induced by surgery, radiotherapy (chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea may be difficult to determine they may be amenorrhoeic but still have functioning ovaries), or by being naturally amenorrhoeic, for 1 year or more if younger than 50 and for 6 months if 50 or older
  • Postmenopausal levels of FSH/LH/E2 (follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, oestrogen) according to the definition of "postmenopausal range" for the laboratory involved
  • Have developed arthralgia and associated joint symptoms whilst being treated with anastrozole with a score of 40mm or greater on a pain and stiffness 100mm VAS
  • WBC ≥ 3.0 x 109/L, granulocytes ≥ 1.5 X 109/L and ≥ 100 x 109/L.
  • /SGOT or ALT/SGPT ≤ 3 times Serum creatinine ≤ 2 times ULN

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of disease
  • Diabetes mellitus or glucose intolerance defined as a fasting glucose >6mmol/l
  • Previous or concomitant other (non-breast cancer) within the previous 5 years
  • Presence of other non-malignant systemic diseases which may prevent prolonged follow-up
  • History of coronary artery disease or no history of previous coronary heart disease but at least two other coronary heart disease risk factors: LDL ≥8.8 mg/dL OR if fewer than two other coronary heart disease risk factors: LDL ≥10.45 mg/dL or total fasting cholesterol ≥ 13.2 mg/dL
  • Patients on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) within 4 weeks before trial treatment was initiated
  • Patients on breast cancer chemoprevention with anti-oestrogens if less than 18 months between stopping and diagnosis of breast cancer
  • Are at risk of transmitting or viral hepatitis via infected blood
  • Known to any component of testosterone
  • Unable to comply with study requirements
  • Taking the following concomitant medications at the screening visit-bisphosphonate, anti-cancer treatment other than anastrozole (this includes Herceptin).
  • Prolonged systemic treatment, except for topical applications (e.g. for rash), inhaled sprays (e.g. for obstructive airways diseases), eye drops or local injections (e.g. intra-articular). Note: Short duration (\< 2 weeks) of systemic corticosteroids is allowed (e.g. for ) but not within 1 month prior to randomisation.
  • Any drugs
  • Systemic hormone replacement therapy
  • Pregnant or lactating women
  • Patients with history of fragility fracture or low BMD, osteoporosis or osteopenia
  • Known liver disease
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(12)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Postmenopausal

Periods have stopped for good: usually no period for 12 months in a row without another medical reason, sometimes confirmed by a blood test (FSH).

Platelets

Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.

ALT and AST (liver enzymes)

Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.

Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.

ULN (upper limit of normal)

The top of the normal range for a blood test, as set by the laboratory that runs it. Each lab prints its own range next to your result.

“≤ 2.5 × ULN” means the result can be up to two and a half times that top value.

Metastases

Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

Hypersensitivity

An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Investigational drug or device

A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.

It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator)
Enrollment
90 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Placebo comparator
    Arimidex

    Arimidex 1 mg plus placebo

    Drug: Testosterone

  • Active comparator
    Arimidex test 40mg

    Arimidex 1mg and testosterone 40mg

    Drug: Testosterone

  • Active comparator
    Arimidex plus test 80mg

    Arimidex 1mg and testosterone 80mg

    Drug: Testosterone

Interventions

This study also gives Anastrozole. No intervention listed here names it: that was found by reading the record.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Reduces arthralgia and associated joint symptoms as indicated by the change in hand or large joint pain from baseline to 3 months using a 100mm visual analogue scale for pain.

    Time frame: 3 months

  2. Has acceptable safety and tolerability profile with particular reference to androgenic adverse events including acne, hirsutism, and alopecia.

    Time frame: 3 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Impacts the bone resorption marker CTx

    Time frame: 3 months

  2. Impacts serum HDL, LDL Trg, total Chol,

    Time frame: 3 months

  3. Impacts serum levels of oestrogens, androgens and SHBG levels

    Time frame: 3 months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Burnside Breast Centre
    Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 9, 2009, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00497458
Lead sponsor
Havah Therapeutics Pty Ltd
Collaborators
AstraZeneca
First posted
Jul 6, 2007
Start date
Jul 2007
Primary completion
Apr 2009 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 2009 (estimated)
Last update
Apr 9, 2009

Study contacts

Stephen N Birrell, MD PhD
study director · Havah Therapeutics Pty Ltd

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is status unknown, as verified in Apr 2009. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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Studies of the drug tested here: Testosterone

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