Aromatase inhibitors in post-menopausal endometriosis

Postmenopausal endometriosis is a rare clinical condition. The diagnosis and treatment of an endometriotic lesion in postmenopausal women is complicated.

First line treatment choice should be surgical, given that there is a potential risk of malignancy. Medical treatment may be considered as second line or as an alternate first line treatment whenever surgery is contradicted and aims to alter the hormonal pathway leading to endometriosis progress.

Different hormonal regimens have been administered to these patients, with conflicting however results. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) represent one of the most recently used drugs for postmenopausal endometriosis.

Clinical data for the use of (AIs) in postmenopausal patients is scarce. Up to date only 5 case reports are available regarding the use of these agents in postmenopausal women.

Although definite conclusions may be premature, AIs appear to considerably improve patients'symptoms and reduce endometriotic lesions size. Nonetheless the subsequent induced reduction in estrogen production, leads to certain short-term and long-term adverse effects.

Despite the limited available data, AIs appear to represent a new promising method which may improve symptoms and treat these patients, either as first line treatment, when surgery is contraindicated or as a second line for recurrences following surgical treatment. However, careful monitoring of patients'risk profile and further research regarding long-term effects and side-effects of these agents is essential prior implementing them in everyday clinical practice.

Author: Nikolaos PolyzosHuman FatemiApostolos ZavosGrigoris GrimbizisDimitra KyrouJuan Garcia VelascoPaul DevroeyBasil TarlatzisEvangelos Papanikolaou
Credits/Source: Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 2011, 9:90

Published on: 2011-06-21

Copyright by the authors listed above - made available via BioMedCentral (Open Access). Please make sure to read our disclaimer prior to contacting 7thSpace Interactive. To contact our editors, visit our online helpdesk. If you wish submit your own press release, click here.

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DATA FROM DAISY PETAL STUDY WILL BE PRESENTED IN THREE SESSIONS

SAN DIEGO, June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: NBIX) today announced that three elagolix presentations have been accepted for the scientific program at 2011 World Congress on Endometriosis, to be held September 4-7, 2011 in Montpellier, France. This important meeting is sponsored by the World Endometriosis Society and occurs every three years, bringing together clinicians and basic scientists from all over the world to share the latest developments in endometriosis.

"We are very pleased to participate in this prestigious scientific event," said Chris O'Brien, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Neurocrine. "This Congress will highlight the marked increase in both the basic science and clinical research related to endometriosis that has occurred in recent years. Endometriosis profoundly impacts the lives of well over one hundred million women worldwide, and global efforts to improve our understanding of the disorder, its symptoms and treatment, are the highlights of this triennial meeting. We are excited to be an integral part of these initiatives and to provide a detailed update on our potential new therapy."

The acceptance of multiple abstracts and datasets from the development program of elagolix for endometriosis at the 2011 World Congress on Endometriosis is as follows:

Data from the recently completed Daisy Petal clinical study of elagolix for the treatment of endometriosis-associated pain will be presented in a speaking session:

•"Elagolix, A Novel Oral GnRH Antagonist, Significantly Reduced Endometriosis-Associated Pelvic Pain: Results For The Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Period Of A Randomized Phase 2 Study" on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 10:30 am


Data from the recently completed Daisy Petal clinical study of elagolix for the treatment of endometriosis-associated pain will also be presented in two distinct poster sessions:

•"Elagolix, A Novel Oral GnRH Antagonist Improves Quality Of Life In Women With Endometriosis-Associated Pelvic Pain" on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 8:00 am
•"Elagolix, A Novel Oral GnRH Antagonist, Maintained Reduction Of Endometriosis-Associated Pelvic Pain During 24 Weeks Of Treatment" on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 8:00 am


In addition, data from the extensive work undertaken to improve our understanding of endometriosis symptoms will be presented at the 11th World Congress on Endometriosis in two separate sessions:

•"A Qualitative Evaluation of Disease Severity and Bothersomeness of Symptoms In Patients with Endometriosis" on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 8:00 am
•"Perception of Pelvic Pain in Women with Endometriosis: A Focus Group Study" on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 11:30 am.


About Neurocrine Biosciences

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on neurological and endocrine diseases and disorders. Our product candidates address some of the largest pharmaceutical markets in the world, including endometriosis, stress-related disorders, pain, diabetes, insomnia, and other neurological and endocrine-related diseases and disorders. Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. news releases are available through the Company's website via the internet at http://www.neurocrine.com

In addition to historical facts, this press release may contain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements are risks and uncertainties associated with Neurocrine's business and finances in general, and Company overall. In addition, the Company faces risks and uncertainties with respect to the Company's R & D pipeline including risk that the Company's clinical candidates will not be found to be safe and effective; and the other risks described in the Company's report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2011. Neurocrine undertakes no obligation to update the statements contained in this press release after the date hereof.


SOURCE Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.

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Team eyes infrared route to diagnose endometriosis

24 May 2011 | By Andrew Czyzewski

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy could greatly improve the diagnosis of endometriosis, bypassing the need for invasive surgical biopsy, according to a team from from Lancaster University




The team found that tissue from women with the condition carried a distinct IR signature — thus paving the way for routine assessment such as that done for cervical smears.


‘We use spectroscopy as a method of deriving what we call a biochemical cell fingerprint of a tissue sample — and from that we can get an absorption spectrum associated with the functionality of the tissue we’ve looked at,’ project lead Dr Francis Martin of Lancaster told The Engineer.



Read more: http://www.theengineer.co.uk/sectors/medical-and-healthcare/news/team-eyes-infrared-route-to-diagnose-endometriosis/1008781.article#ixzz1OEE8qLKt