Upregulation of h-TERT and Ki-67 in ectopic endometrium is associated with recurrence of endometriosis
Jie LUO, Zhimin SONG, Tao ZHANG, Ketan CHU, Jingyi LI, Jianhong ZHOU, Jun LIN
Department of Gynecology, Womens Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Womens Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China; Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Womens Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China
linjun@zju.edu.cn, zhoujh1117@zju.edu.cn
Abstract: At present, endometriosis remains a worldwide health burden, with the main symptoms of dysmenorrhea, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility, markedly reducing the quality of life (de Ziegler et al., 2010). Although there is no proof that the disease is associated with high mortality, this disorder can significantly contribute to the deterioration of women's general well-being (McPeak et al., 2018). The main current treatment for endometriosis is surgery to remove endometriotic lesions; however, the recurrence rate following surgical treatment is as high as 21.5% at two years and 40.0%–50.0% at five years post-surgery (Koga et al., 2015). To prevent recurrence, adjuvant treatment with drugs after surgery is recommended to prolong relapse-free intervals. However, it is inconvenient for patients to continuously use such medications in terms of adverse effects and cost (Turk, 2002).