Incidence of surgically diagnosed endometriosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Prospective population based observational study of surgically diagnosed endometriosis
IRAS ID
98980
Contact name
Dharani K Hapangama
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
The research questions being addressing are:
Is endometriosis always symptomatic?
Can blood levels of AGR2 be used to diagnose endometriosis?
Endometriosis is having tissue similar to the lining of the womb (endometrium) outside the cavity of the womb. It is very common, the prevalence is estimated at between 3-15%, the true prevalence being difficult to ascertain since diagnosis is based on an operation to examine the pelvis. Endometriosis carries a huge economic burden, in the UK, it is estimated to cost over £3 billion annually.
Women suffering from endometriosis complain of a wide range of symptoms. The severity of symptoms does not correlate well with the extent of disease examined by surgeons. Since the diagnosis need surgery, many women may suffer for years before being diagnosed with endometriosis. We plan to explore the incidence of endometriosis in the general population and any associated symptoms.
We also plan to see if a blood test can be used to make a diagnosis of endometriosis, preventing unnecessary surgery and money. We have recently shown that a protein called AGR2 is highly expressed in the endometrium of women with endometriosis. AGR2 can be detected in blood and we propose it possibly can be used as a marker to diagnose endometriosis.
We aim to recruit 100 healthy women undergoing routine laparoscopic female sterilisation at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital. All patients will be invited to fill a questionnaire on symptoms associated with endometriosis and they will also have a blood sample taken at the time of routine anaesthetic (no extra needle required). The completed questionnaire will be correlated with the surgical findings and their serum AGR2 levels.
Our results will potentially help to understand more about endometriosis and aid to diagnose without an operation. The patient benefit and cost saving for the NHS therefore, is potentially huge.REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/1247
Date of REC Opinion
1 Nov 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion