title: Endometriosis: in search of optimal treatment.
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 and unwanted 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 for medical management of endometriosis are discussed as are their shortcomings. Potential target areas which may be attractive alternatives to current therapies are also reviewed and include aromatase inhibitors, angiogenesis disruptors and anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA. wnothnic@kumc.edu
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Nothnick
mesh_terms: D000068879:Adalimumab; D000077384:Anastrozole; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D020847:Estrogen Receptor Modulators / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000068800:Etanercept; D005260:Female; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D006727:Hormone Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000069285:Infliximab; D007555:Isoxazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077339:Leflunomide; D000077289:Letrozole; D009570:Nitriles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010431:Pentoxifylline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011374:Progesterone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014230:Triazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D053319:Tumor Necrosis Factor Decoy Receptors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D020847:Estrogen Receptor Modulators; D006727:Hormone Antagonists; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007555:Isoxazoles; D009570:Nitriles; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D014230:Triazoles; D053319:Tumor Necrosis Factor Decoy Receptors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C069521:recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-binding protein-1; D000077384:Anastrozole; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D011374:Progesterone; D000077289:Letrozole; D000069285:Infliximab; D000068879:Adalimumab; D000077339:Leflunomide; D000068800:Etanercept; D010431:Pentoxifylline