Studies new tools to diagnose and track endometriosis over time
Follows women with endometriosis, comparing tissue samples and symptoms with healthy women over 10 years.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Turku University Hospital
- Where
- Helsinki, Joensuu, Lahti, and Turku, FinlandSee the 4 sites
- Trial code
- Registry title
- ENDOMET - Novel Diagnostic Tools and Treatments for Endometriosis
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 230 people, planned
- Started
- Oct 2005
- Expected to end
- Dec 2028
- Type of study
- Observational, 2 groups
- Treatments tested
- Laparoscopy/laparotomy
- Record updated
- 16 August 2021
Who can take part
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for women aged 19 to 48 who have endometriosis confirmed by surgery and tissue tests. It also takes women in whom endometriosis was ruled out during laparoscopy, as a comparison group.
- Age
- 19 to 48 years
- Sex
- Women only
- Disease stage
- Endometriosis confirmed by surgery and tissue examination (study group). Control group: endometriosis ruled out during laparoscopy.
- Earlier treatment
- No previous removal of the womb (hysterectomy) and/or both ovaries and fallopian tubes (bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy).
Main reasons for not taking part
- Another significant disease or medication for other diseases
- Suspicion of cancer
- Pregnancy
- Acute infection
- Not enough understanding of the Finnish language
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 8 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- study group: surgically and pathologically verified endometriosis
- control group: existence of endometriosis ruled out in laparoscopy
Who cannot take part
- previous hysterectomy and/or bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy
- no other significant disease or medication for other diseases
- suspicion of malignancy
- acute infection
- pregnancy
- insufficient understanding of Finnish language
Check if you might fit
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 19 and 48 years old?
Where in Finland
- Dept of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University HospitalHelsinki, FinlandContact: Antti H Perheentupa, MD PhDNo longer taking part
- Dept of Obstetrics and Gynecology, North Carelia Central HospitalJoensuu, FinlandContact: Antti H Perheentupa, MD PhDNo longer taking part
- Dept of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Päijät-Häme Central HospitalLahti, FinlandContact: Antti H Perheentupa, MD PhDNo longer taking part
- Dept of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Turku University Central HospitalTurku, FinlandContact: Antti Perheentupa, MD, PhDTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
Endometriosis is a chronic disease characterized by the presence of functional endometrial glands and stroma in ectopic locations outside the uterine cavity. The ectopic endometrial tissue responds to estradiol and other hormones similarly to the normal endometrium. Endometriosis is one of the most common benign gynecological conditions, as many as 5-10% of women in the reproductive age may be affected. In addition to pain which may be severe, subfertility is one of the typical problems associated with endometriosis and may be present in up to 40% of those affected. There is lack of a clear correlation between severity of pain and degree of compromised fertility. Different modes of treatment exist. Hormonal treatments are based on the suppression of estrogenic action on endometriosis as well as the endometrium. Unfortunately, discontinuation of the hormonal treatment typically results in a rapid recurrence of the disease. Surgery may alleviate the symptom for different lengths of time, however, curative treatment frequently involves hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy. In order to escape this radical treatment, new targeted therapy in the form of novel pharmacological agents would be of crucial importance. Presently, endometriosis can be reliably diagnosed only by laparoscopy. Since this is an invasive surgical procedure, new diagnostic tools would be warmly welcomed. Furthermore, as the progression of the disease is presently impossible to predict, new markers for the "malignancy" of each case are desperately needed.
Read full original descriptionShow less
The aim of the investigators research is to identify expression of endometriosis specific RNAs/proteins. Evaluation of expression profiles in samples of endometriosis and endometrium of patients with careful clinical and surgical classification of endometriosis as well as healthy control women should initially enable to identify novel targets for new therapies and biomarkers. Particularly the different pain symptoms will be recorded annually and evaluated comprehensively. Furthermore, combined with an adequate 10-year follow up (based on a questionnaire, including fertility, received treatments and different pain symptoms; NRS), the study should enable for example to identify markers for endometriosis associated infertility as well as cases where the disease progresses very rapidly or reoccurs. Different forms of effective treatment may thereafter be designed following the identification of such factors.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Endometriosis
Women (19-48 years of age) with surgically confirmed endometriosis.
Treatment: Laparoscopy/laparotomy
- Healthy women
Healthy women (32-48 years of age), symptom free, existence of endometriosis ruled out during laparoscopy for tubal ligation
Treatment: Laparoscopy/laparotomy
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Novel Diagnostic Tools for Endometriosis and Their Exploitation for Prognosis and Prevention of Complications
- Plain-language title
- Studies new tools to diagnose and track endometriosis over timeGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT01301885, who can take part
- Record updated
- 16 August 2021