Endometriosis biomarkers of the disease: an update

Abstract

Purpose of reviewEndometriosis is a complex benign gynaecologic condition with heterogenous presentations and a large impact on the global healthcare system and on the quality of life for millions of women. Currently, the gold standard for diagnosis involves direct visualization of lesions during surgery confirmed by histopathological diagnosis, resulting in an average delay in its initial diagnosis of 8--10 years. Therefore, the search for noninvasive diagnostic testing options has been subject to a large body of research. Recent findingsMultiple potential biomarkers have been explored for noninvasive testing for endometriosis, including glycoproteins, inflammatory cytokines, immunological molecules, angiogenesis markers, hormones, micro RNAs (miRNAs), proteomics, metabolomics, genomics and the microbiome. SummaryAlthough there are challenges to consider, areas for real promise and advancement in the noninvasive diagnosis of endometriosis are currently being explored with real promise in the area of miRNAs, proteomics, metabolomics, genomics and the microbiome.

Determination of Serum Arginase-1 Concentrations and Serum Arginase Activity for the Non-Invasive Diagnosis of Endometriosis

“…Although numerous original studies and systematic reviews analysed the potential application of nearly two hundred different molecules as potential markers of endometriosis, and for some of them, a significant association with the presence or absence of endometriosis was found [ 22 , 45 , 46 ], only single markers meet the criteria of a replacement/screening test. A comparison of test criteria obtained for the best published potential diagnostic markers and Arg-1 is presented in Table 2 .…”

The mysterious association between adiponectin and endometriosis

“…Chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation are essential microenvironment and pathophysiological features of EMs ( Zhang et al, 2018 ; Encalada Soto et al, 2022 ). Due to the dysregulation of immune mechanisms, ectopic endometrial cells evade immune clearance to survive, adhere, and invade ectopic sites ( Symons et al, 2018 ).…”

Peritoneal immune microenvironment of endometriosis: Role and therapeutic perspectives

“…Cytokines and inflammatory mediators such as IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IFN-γ, MCP-1, TNF-α, sTNFR-1, and CCL5 (RANTES), which are measured in the serum and PF of patients with endometriosis, have the potential to serve as diagnostic biomarkers in patients with endometriosis ( 23 , 159 ). Considering that the elevations in the levels of these mediators can be seen in multiple inflammatory diseases aside from endometriosis, the models of combined tests are more accurate and specific than those of a single test.…”

“…Serum cancer antigen (CA)-125 can be a preoperative predictor of extensive endometriosis lesions, like severe adhesions and ruptured endometriotic cysts. The sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis can be improved through combined testing with other molecules ( 159 ). Moreover, it is reported that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) adjuvant to serum CA-125 is regarded as a potential diagnostic tool correlated with the severity of endometriosis ( 161 ).…”