Causes, evolutions and treatment: research on endometriosis concerns all aspects of the disease today.
In France, one in ten women is affected by endometriosis, a disease caused by the migration of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. On average, the diagnosis takes seven years to be made, exposing patients to terrible pain during menstruation and sexual intercourse. Once identified, the disease can be relieved by painkillers or hormonal treatments, or even by performing surgery, but no curative treatment exists. According to the association EndoFrancebetween 30 and 40% of affected women have fertility problems. In recent years, research and case studies have multiplied on the subject.
Inserm responds to this desire to strongly promote research on endometriosis @MinSoliSante #ScienceForHealth https://t.co/oVwJuUU5rO
— Inserm (@Inserm) March 11, 2019
5,000 patients in an AP-HP study
Since November 2018, the AP-HP has been recruiting women with endometriosis to launch a large-scale study as part of its ComPaRe action (Community of Patients for Research of the AP-HP). The goal is to reach 5,000 patients registered online. Marina Kvaskoff, director of this research, wishes to collect information on the evolution of the disease, its causes and its consequences on the lives of women. Participation in the study requires answering an online questionnaire for between 10 and 20 minutes each month.
Facilitate the diagnosis
Many research teams are also interested in diagnosis: how to speed it up? How to make it less invasive? Today, women must undergo, in most cases, an endoscopy: a surgery that consists of inserting a camera into the abdominal cavity. From researchers at the Feinstein Institute in New York are interested in the markers of the disease present in the menstrual blood. According to them, its composition is not the same for affected women: it contains different stem cells. Eventually, this could make it possible to do a simple menstrual blood test to establish the diagnosis.
Improve care
A surgical operation can remove the lesions and make the symptoms disappear for a certain period of time. In Nîmes, the Kenval-Kennedy clinic has equipped itself with a new machine to perform this surgery, as explained France Bleu Gard Lozere. The PlasmaJet® makes it possible to use a less invasive technique and reduces the risk of reaching healthy tissue. The operation takes the form of a laparoscopy and lasts less time than the “classic” intervention for endometriosis. So far, three patients have benefited from it.
The clinic #kenval-Kennedy of #Nimes acquires PlasmaJet technology to better treat patients with #endometriosis. Report this Tuesday on @bleugardlozere pic.twitter.com/7BJh8BHkKt
— France Bleu Gard Lozère (@bleugardlozere) April 23, 2019
Endometriosis expert centers
Better understanding the disease also involves training medical teams. The National College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF) wants to create regional endometriosis expert centers in France. “The English have been equipped with it for ten years, underlines François Golfier, president of the endometriosis commission of the CNGOF, in the Parisian. It would take about thirty in France”. The objective of these centers is to train practitioners, develop research and set up care. For François Golfier, this initial training is essential to better inform doctors and enable them to to better support patients.Today, the disease is still not part of the medical examination program.
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