Molecular genetic evidence that endometriosis is a precursor of ovarian cancer

Prowse AH, Amanda Prowse, Amanda H Prowse, Manek S, Sanjiv Manek, Rajesh Varma, Jinsong Liu, Liu J, Andrew K. Godwin, Godwin AK, Eamonn R. Maher, Tomlinson IP, Ian P M Tomlinson, Ian Tomlinson, Stephen H Kennedy, Stephen Kennedy, Kennedy SH
International journal of cancer · 2006 · vol. 119(3) , pp. 556–562 · doi:10.1002/ijc.21845 · PMID:16506222 · W2156223374
Other OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 88 in-corpus citations
View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-12 ⓘ

Analysis of loss of heterozygosity in paired endometriosis and ovarian cancer samples revealed shared genetic alterations in endometriosis, supporting its role as a precursor to endometriosis-associated ovarian cancers.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

Histopathology and epidemiology studies have consistently demonstrated a strong link between endometriosis and endometriosis-associated ovarian cancers (EAOCs)--in particular, the endometrioid and clear cell subtypes. However, it is still unclear whether endometriosis is a precursor to EAOCs, or whether there is an indirect link because similar factors predispose to both diseases. In order to search for evidence of clonal progression, we analyzed 10 EAOCs (endometrioid=4; clear cell=6) with coexisting endometriosis for common molecular genetic alterations in both the carcinoma and corresponding endometriosis. We used 82 microsatellite markers spanning the genome to examine loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in the coexisting carcinoma and endometriosis samples. A total of 63 LOH events were detected in the carcinoma samples; twenty two of these were also detected in the corresponding endometriosis samples. In each case, the same allele was lost in the endometriosis and cancer samples. Interestingly, no marker showed LOH in the endometriosis alone. These data provide evidence that endometriosis is a precursor to EAOCs.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Loss of Heterozygosity Loss of Heterozygosity Ovarian Diseases Ovarian Neoplasms Precancerous Conditions Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell Adult Adult Aged Aged Carcinoma, Endometrioid Carcinoma, Endometrioid Carcinoma, Endometrioid Carcinoma, Endometrioid DNA, Neoplasm DNA, Neoplasm

Citation neighborhood (2-hop)

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. Outer rings show 2-hop neighbours — papers reached through the immediate citers/citees. [ collapse to 1-hop ]

References (35)

Cited by (50)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-10-14T06:08:39.101224+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-10-08T21:03:37.664955+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK