Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42120349›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism2026

Establishment of harmonized international reference ranges for plasma estradiol concentrations in postmenopausal women.

Jinghan Cui, Susan E Hankinson, Alvin M Matsumoto, Richard J Santen, Maegan E Boutot, Jeffrey R Budd, Mitch Dowsett, Matthew P Goetz, Catherine Guranich, Serena Houghton and 13 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

23 authors.

Jinghan CuiDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
Susan E HankinsonDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9155-3767
Alvin M MatsumotoGeriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108, USA.
Richard J SantenDivision of Endocrinology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
Maegan E BoutotDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
Jeffrey R BuddJeff Budd Consulting, St.Paul, MN 55126, USA.
Mitch DowsettRoyal Marsden Hospital, London SW3 6JJ, UK.
Matthew P GoetzDepartment of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Catherine GuranichDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
Serena HoughtonDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
James N IngleDepartment of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1257-7731
Micheal E JonesDivision of Genetics and Epidemiology, The Institute of Cancer Research, London SW7 3RP, UK.
Sabina RinaldiNutrition and Metabolism Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO), 69366 Lyon, cedex 07, France.ORCID 0000-0002-6846-1204
Bernard RosnerChanning Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Minouk J SchoemakerDivision of Genetics and Epidemiology, The Institute of Cancer Research, London SW7 3RP, UK.
Ravinder J SinghDepartment of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55901, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4538-6544
Hubert W VesperDivision of Laboratory Sciences, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.
A Heather EliassenDepartments of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Roger L MilneCancer Epidemiology Division, Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, VIC 3002, Australia.
Anthony J SwerdlowDivision of Genetics and Epidemiology, The Institute of Cancer Research, London SW7 3RP, UK.
Celine M VachonDivision of Epidemiology, Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1962-9322
Harriet RichardsonDepartment of Public Health Sciences and Sinclair Cancer Research Institute, Divisions of Canadian Cancer Trials Group and Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L3N6, Canada.
Jing QianDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6120-5147

Funding

The Role of CHFR in Tumorigenesis and Paclitaxel-Sensitivity in Breast CancerP50CA116201 · NCI · MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER · PI PETER C LUCAS · 2005 to 2026
$49.9M
Long Term Multidisciplinary Study of Cancer in Women: The Nurses Health StudyUM1CA186107 · NCI · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI ELIASSEN, A. HEATHER, STAMPFER, MEIR · 2014 to 2023
$22.3M
Endogenous hormones and postmenopausal breast cancer: Etiologic insights and improving risk predictionR01CA207369 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST · PI HANKINSON, SUSAN E · 2017 to 2021
$4.5M
American Society for Bone and Mineral ResearchAmerican Society of Reproductive MedicineAustralian National Health and Medical Research Council 1074383Australian National Health and Medical Research Council 209057Australian National Health and Medical Research Council 396414Avalon Healthcare SolutionsCancer Council VictoriaInternational Society for the Study of Women's Sexual HealthNCI NIH HHS P50 CA116201NCI NIH HHS R01 CA207369NCI NIH HHS UM1 CA186107NIH HHS P50 CA116201North American Menopause SocietyNovo NordiskVicHealth and Cancer Council VictoriaWorld Cancer Research Fund IIG_2018_1730World Cancer Research Fund International
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

contextPrior reports of plasma estradiol concentrations and their reference ranges in postmenopausal women identified marked variation, in part due to assay method and body mass index (BMI).

objectiveTo develop an international reference range for plasma estradiol in postmenopausal women, support accurate assessment of concentrations during systemic and local (eg, vaginal) estradiol therapy, and improve risk prediction for diseases, including osteoporosis, breast, and endometrial cancers. METHODOLOGY: Estradiol concentrations were measured using primarily liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assays in 5 international cohorts of community-dwelling, postmenopausal women of primarily European ancestry aged 38-100 years who were not using exogenous estrogens (n = 7206). Measurements were harmonized to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reference measurement procedure (RMP) by re-assaying a subset of samples for each cohort and generating recalibration equations. Reference intervals were determined for all women, non-obese women, and specific BMI categories.

resultsEstradiol concentrations from separate LC-MS/MS assays correlated closely with the CDC RMP, and harmonization minimized inter-assay variability. Estradiol concentrations correlated with BMI but not with chronological age. The reference range (2.5th-97.5th percentile) was 1.1-18.2 pg/mL (4.0-66.8 pmol/L) with median of 4.9 pg/mL (18.0 pmol/L) for all postmenopausal women and 1.1-12.5 pg/mL (4.0-45.9 pmol/L) with median of 4.1 pg/mL (15.1 pmol/L) for non-obese women (BMI < 30). Reference ranges increased progressively with higher BMI categories.

conclusionCross-calibration of estradiol measurements with the CDC RP enabled the development of harmonized plasma estradiol reference ranges for postmenopausal women who were not using exogenous estrogens, suitable for future studies to establish clinical utility. Increasing obesity in postmenopausal women was associated with increasing estradiol concentration and BMI category-specific reference ranges.

Indexed as

EstradiolPostmenopauseAdultAgedAged, 80 and overBody Mass IndexChromatography, LiquidCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMiddle AgedReference ValuesTandem Mass SpectrometryEstradiolbody mass indexestradiolinternationalmenopausereference rangereference standard assay

Identifiers

PMID42120349
PMCPMC13461334

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.