Challenges in the development of novel therapeutic strategies for treatment of endometriosis

Arne Vanhie, Carla Tomassetti, Karen Peeraer, Christel Meuleman, Thomas D'Hooghe, Thomas D’Hooghe
Expert opinion on therapeutic targets · 2015 · vol. 20(5) , pp. 593–600 · doi:10.1517/14728222.2016.1118461 · W2191713056
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This review discusses endometriosis pathogenesis and novel nonhormonal therapeutic strategies, highlighting challenges in translating experimental drugs to clinical practice due to inadequate preclinical models.

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Abstract

Introduction: Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent disease that results in pelvic pain and infertility. Its treatment is often frustrating due to limited medical treatment options, complex surgical treatment and high recurrence rates. Despite the advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis over the last decades and the consequent novel therapeutic strategies, no new drugs have been introduced in daily clinical practice.Areas covered: In the first part we present an overview of the pathogenesis of endometriosis. In the second part we discuss how new insights have led to the development of novel nonhormonal strategies for the treatment of endometriosis, focusing on anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic agents. In the third part we describe the problems encountered in the translation from experimental drugs to routine medicine for the treatment of endometriosis.Expert Opinion: Despite the multitude of agents that have been tested in preclinical trials, only few drugs have passed to the stage of clinical testing and none have been introduced into clinical practice. It is our opinion that the major challenges in the translation from novel agents for endometriosis is due to the use of inadequate rodent models and a lack of standardization in the design and reporting of preclinical endometriosis models.

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Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Angiogenesis Inhibitors Angiogenesis Inhibitors Animals Anti-Inflammatory Agents Anti-Inflammatory Agents Endometriosis Female Humans

Citation neighborhood

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. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (41)

Cited by (14)

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