title: Future targets in endometriosis treatment: targeting the endometriotic implant.
abstract: Endometriosis is an enigmatic, debilitating disease which affects as many as 15% of all women of reproductive age and is characterized by pelvic pain and infertility. Current treatment regimes used to manage the disease do so by inducing a hypoestrogenic state. While the absence of circulating estrogen levels lead to a regression of the disease, this hypoestrogenism also induces many unpleasant side-effects. As such, these and other shortcomings of current drug therapies emphasize their limitations and the necessity for the development of novel endometriosis treatments. In this review, current therapies which target the biochemistry of the implant are discussed with emphasis on aromatase inhibitors, anti-angiogenic compounds and vascular-disrupting agents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, Kansas 66160, USA. wnothnic@kumc.edu
authors.forename: Warren B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Nothnick
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000077384:Anastrozole; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077289:Letrozole; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009570:Nitriles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014230:Triazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D009570:Nitriles; D014230:Triazoles; D000077384:Anastrozole; D000077289:Letrozole