Unique molecular markers in human endometriosis: implications for diagnosis and therapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 February 2004 Endometriosis originates in the uterine lining and affects ~20% of reproductive-age women. The disease often causes chronic pelvic pain, affects ovulatory function and influences fertility. Although laparoscopic diagnosis of uterine endometriosis is quite specific, direct visualisation can be difficult or inaccurate in some circumstances, and it is not useful for diagnosing extra-abdominal disease. Laparoscopy is an invasive procedure, has significant morbidity and cannot be carried out frequently to monitor efficacy of therapy and the possibility of recurrence. Thus, a specific, non-invasive diagnostic test is required. One intriguing area of research uses the technology of radioimmunotargeting, which has previously been used for cancer detection. This technique could have potential for the specific detection and eventual treatment of endometriosis. A marker, eosinophil peroxidase (EPO), has been identified that is expressed in ~90% of endometriosis specimens, and is not expressed or only weakly expressed in normal endometrium. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a monoclonal antibody to EPO for investigation as an immunoimaging agent in cancers that exhibit eosinophilia. EPO targeting using this antibody could be useful for detecting and/or treating endometriosis. - Type - Review Article - Information - Copyright - © Cambridge University Press 2001 - 2 - Cited by Cited by Crossref Citations Hascalik, Seyma Celik, Onder Kekilli, Ersoy Elter, Koray Karakas, Hakki Muammer and Aydin, Nasuhi Engin 2008. Novel noninvasive detection method for endometriosis: research and development of scintigraphic survey on endometrial implants in rats. Fertility and Sterility, Vol. 90, Issue. 1, p. 209. Schuster, Daniela Zederbauer, Martina Langer, Thierry Kubin, Andreas and Furtmüller, Paul G. 2018. Pharmacophore-based discovery of 2-(phenylamino)aceto-hydrazides as potent eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) inhibitors. Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry, Vol. 33, Issue. 1, p. 1529.