테스토스테론 검토: 자궁내막은 대부분 위축 또는 증식, 과형성 2.3%, 35%는 다낭성으로 보이는 난소

성별 확정을 위한 테스토스테론 이후의 자궁과 난소 조직병리: 체계적 문헌고찰

Authors: Maris K. Toland, Kyra Bonasia, Jessica Bentz, Regina M. DelBaugh, Elaina J. Vitale, Paige N. Scudder, Ella A. Damiano
Journal: Transgender Health
Year: 2024
Source: https://doi.org/10.1089/trgh.2022.0207

Summary

Dartmouth doctors combined 17 published studies on what the womb and ovaries look like under the microscope after transmasculine people took testosterone and then had them removed. The womb lining was roughly half thin and inactive and half still growing, and a few (3%) showed signs of recent ovulation despite testosterone. About 2.3% had precancerous thickening of the lining and one person had a tiny cancer. No ovarian cancers were reported, though about a third had ovaries that looked polycystic (full of small cysts). The authors concluded testosterone does not raise precancer risk, and routine biopsies before surgery are not needed without other risk factors. This is useful descriptive data, but it cannot measure risk: there was no comparison group, the studies were small and often biased, average testosterone use was only about 2.5 years, and the cancer comparison was indirect.

Key findings

검토에는 2021년 4월 5일까지 검색한 기록 658건에서 고른, 환자를 관찰한 연구 17건(시험은 없음)이 포함되었습니다.
자궁 내막 522건 중 254건(49%)은 얇고 비활성이었고, 243건(47%)은 여전히 자라고 있었으며, 16건(3%)은 최근 배란의 징후를 보였으므로, 테스토스테론이 자궁 내막을 확실히 잠재우지는 않습니다.
12명(2.3%)에게 자궁 내막의 암 전 단계 두꺼워짐이 있었고 1명(0.2%)은 작은 암 부위가 함께 있었습니다. 이 중 9건은 출혈이 없던 사람들이었습니다.
환자 410명(난소 765개) 중 143명(35%)은 난소가 다낭성처럼 보였고, 3명(0.7%)은 해가 없는 성장이 있었으며, 난소암은 보고되지 않았습니다.
환자의 5.6%에서 난소에 최근 난자 방출의 징후가 발견되었고, 이는 테스토스테론을 써도 배란이 이어질 수 있음을 보여주며 저자들은 피임의 필요성을 강조합니다.
그 밖의 해가 없는 소견에는 근종 12.5%, 자궁 내막 용종 7.3%, 자궁 내막이 자궁 근육으로 자라 들어간 것 2.7%, 자궁내막증과 관련된 난소 낭종 1.2%가 포함되었습니다.
테스토스테론의 평균 사용 기간은 약 30개월이었고, 대부분의 연구는 오도할 위험이 중간에서 높은 것으로 평가되었습니다.
저자들은 테스토스테론이 자궁의 암 전 단계 위험을 높이지 않으며, 테스토스테론을 쓴다는 이유만으로 수술 전에 조직 검사를 할 필요는 없다고 결론지었습니다.

Abstract

PURPOSE: The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the effects of testosterone on uterine and ovarian pathology in transmasculine patients at the time of gender-affirming surgery.

METHODS: Searches were conducted using MEDLINE, CINAHL with Full Text, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Europe PMC for articles published before April 5, 2021, containing concepts of testosterone use, uterine histopathology, and transgender population. The initial search yielded a total of 658 abstracts. Studies were analyzed in full text if they reported one or more uterine or ovarian histopathological findings in a noncisgender population receiving testosterone for gender affirmation. Rayyan software was used for the abstract review.

RESULTS: This review was registered with PROSPERO. Twenty-eight full-text articles were reviewed, of which 17 met the inclusion criteria. Two reviewers performed data extraction and risk of bias assessment. Thirteen studies included endometrial histopathology results, representing 522 patients. Endometrial findings demonstrated that 254 patients (48.7%) were atrophic, 243 (46.6%) were proliferative, and 16 (3.0%) were secretory. Twelve patients (2.3%) had endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN), including one (0.2%) with focal adenocarcinoma. Eleven studies reported ovarian histopathology in 410 patients and 765 ovaries. A total of 143 (34.9%) patients had polycystic-appearing ovaries. Three (0.7%) patients had benign ovarian neoplasms. No ovarian malignancies were reported.

CONCLUSION: The endometrium was predominately found to be atrophic or proliferative, with low rates of EIN and carcinoma. No ovarian malignancy was observed. Based on this review, patients on testosterone do not have an increased risk of precancerous endometrial lesions due to unopposed hormones in the setting of amenorrhea.

Conclusion

The endometrium was predominately found to be atrophic or proliferative, with low rates of EIN and carcinoma. No ovarian malignancy was observed. Based on this review, patients on testosterone do not have an increased risk of precancerous endometrial lesions due to unopposed hormones in the setting of amenorrhea. (Full-text conclusion adds: a minority had secretory endometrium, supporting evidence that ovulation can occur on testosterone; benign lesions such as fibroids and endometriosis occur and symptoms should be evaluated as in cisgender patients.)

Methodological limitations

No comparison group: None of the data come from a matched group of people not on testosterone. The claim that testosterone does "not increase" precancer risk rests on comparing with rates from separate studies of women (1–7.9% in women before menopause with any bleeding pattern, or 0.4% in one group without bleeding), not on a direct comparison.
Short use of testosterone: People had taken testosterone for about 30 months on average (roughly 1–10 years where reported), far too short to judge cancer risk from decades of use. Two studies gave only ranges.
Simple head-counts: Results were just numbers added up across studies. There was no proper statistical combining, weighting by study size, check of how much studies disagreed, or measure of uncertainty.
Small, low-quality studies: All 17 studies only observed patients, most were rated at moderate-to-high risk of being misleading, samples were small, and the pathologists often knew the patients were on testosterone.
Things defined differently: Studies defined womb-lining stages, "polycystic" ovaries (from 6% to 80% across studies depending on the definition) and absent periods differently or not at all. So the combined percentages mix things that don't match, and two different systems for naming precancer were used.
Overlapping and mixed groups: Two studies shared many of the same patients, and three included some people not on testosterone whose results could not be separated out.
Only people who had surgery: Only people who had their womb or ovaries removed were studied. The results may not apply to people who keep their womb on long-term testosterone, the group for whom check-up advice matters most.
Key details missing: Bleeding patterns were reported in only nine studies, weight and other illnesses in few, race in two, and testosterone dose and blood levels were not analysed. So risk factors cannot be studied.
Out of date and English only: The search ended in April 2021 but the paper came out in 2024, and studies not in English were left out.
Narrow focus: The review only covers what tissue looks like under the microscope. It does not cover other reported effects of testosterone on the pelvis, such as pelvic pain, symptoms from thinning tissue or managing bleeding, so it should not be read as an overall safety check.

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Summary

Key findings

Abstract

Conclusion