Letrozole and norethisterone acetate versus letrozole and triptorelin in the treatment of endometriosis related pain symptoms: a randomized controlled trial
2011

Letrozole and Norethisterone Acetate vs. Letrozole and Triptorelin for Endometriosis Pain

Sample size: 35 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Simone Ferrero, Pier L. Venturini, David J. Gillott, Valentino Remorgida

Primary Institution: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, San Martino Hospital and University of Genoa, Italy

Hypothesis

Does the combination of letrozole with norethisterone acetate provide better pain relief and tolerability than letrozole with triptorelin in women with endometriosis?

Conclusion

Combining letrozole with oral norethisterone acetate resulted in fewer adverse effects and a lower discontinuation rate compared to combining letrozole with triptorelin.

Supporting Evidence

  • 64.7% of women in the norethisterone group rated their treatment as satisfactory compared to 22.2% in the triptorelin group.
  • 44.4% of women in the triptorelin group interrupted treatment due to adverse effects compared to 5.9% in the norethisterone group.
  • Both treatments significantly reduced the intensity of pain symptoms, but no significant difference was found between the two groups.

Takeaway

This study looked at two treatments for endometriosis pain and found that one treatment caused fewer side effects and was more liked by the women taking it.

Methodology

Women with rectovaginal endometriosis were treated with letrozole and randomized to receive either norethisterone acetate or triptorelin for 6 months, with pain and adverse effects assessed.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to the open-label design and the small number of participants.

Limitations

The study was terminated early and had a small sample size, limiting the ability to draw definitive conclusions.

Participant Demographics

Premenopausal women with pain symptoms from rectovaginal endometriosis.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.028

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1477-7827-9-88

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