Biomarkers of Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a benign gynecological disease defined by the ectopic presence of endometrium and associated with pelvic pain and infertility. The etiology and pathogenesis remain unclear. The gold standard of diagnosing endometriosis is laparoscopy followed by histological confirmation, associated with an 8-year delay in the diagnosis of endometriosis. A clinically reliable test for endometriosis can be expected to allow early diagnosis and treatment, with profound impact on the reduction of health care and individual costs. A noninvasive diagnostic test could be developed for serum or plasma, urine, and endometrial or menstrual fluid. A semi-invasive test could be developed for peritoneal fluid and eutopic endometrium. The development of such a test from initial biomarker discovery to be a clinically approved biomarker assay is a long, difficult, and uncertain process and includes four different phases. A review of the existing literature is provided in this chapter. Overall, most endometriosis biomarker studies remain at the level of phase I, with only a few currently in phase II of biomarker development. There is a need for a well-designed multinational study including academic and industrial partners for phase II and phase III trials. *Amelie Fassbender and Dorien O are joint first authors Access this chapter Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout Purchases are for personal use only Similar content being viewed by others

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