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Special Issue "Molecular and Cell Biology in Endometriosis and Endometrial Cancer"

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A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2023 | Viewed by 5369

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Dr. Jacqueline F. Donoghue

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Department Of Obstetrics And Gynaecology, Royal Women’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
Interests: uterine disease; endometriosis; endometrial cancer; molecular pathology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The endometrium has been a subject of intense research in a variety of clinical settings because of its importance in the reproductive process and its roles in women’s health. Under the exposure of different risk factors in a woman’s lifetime, normal endometrial tissue can give rise to multiple pathologic conditions, including endometriosis and endometrial cancer. Although the methods for diagnosis of endometriosis and endometrial cancer are well developed in modern gynecology, the underlying etiology and pathophysiologic changes remain largely unclear.

The focus of this Biomolecules Special Issue is on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of endometriosis and endometrial cancer. Areas to be covered in this Special Issue may include but are not limited to the molecular pathophysiology of endometriosis and endometrial cancer, genetic and epigenetic changes in endometriosis, endometrial stem/progenitor cells, the molecular basis for a specific therapeutic approach, molecular biomarkers for endometriosis and endometrial cancer.

We expect that this Special Issue will provide novel information on the abovementioned topics and be of interest to scientists and clinicians already working on or seeking to understand the molecular and cell biology of endometriosis and endometrial cancer. Therefore, contributions by experts in the field, in the form of original research papers and reviews are most welcome.

Dr. Jacqueline F. Donoghue
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2300 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

endometriosis
endometrial cancer
ovarian cancer
molecular basis of endometriosis and endometrial cancer

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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Open AccessArticle

Circulating Tumor Cell Detection by Liquid Biopsy during Early-Stage Endometrial Cancer Surgery: A Pilot Study

and

Catherine Alix-Panabières

Biomolecules 2023, 13(3), 428; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom13030428 - 24 Feb 2023

Viewed by 531

Abstract

The recurrence of non-metastatic endometrial carcinoma (EC) (6 to 21%) might be due to disseminated tumor cells. This feasibility study investigated whether circulating tumor cells (CTCs) were detectable in blood samples from the peripheral and ovarian veins of 10 patients undergoing laparoscopic resection of stage I-II EC between July 2019 and September 2021. CTCs were detected using the CellSearch^® system (i) preoperatively (T0) in peripheral blood, (ii) after ovary suspensory ligament pediculation in ovarian vein blood (T1), and (iii) before colpotomy in peripheral blood (T2). CTCs were detected only in ovarian vein samples in 8/10 patients. The CTC median number did not differ with patient age (37 (min-max: 0–91) in <70-year-old vs. 11 (0–65) in ≥70 year-old women, p = 0.59), tumor grade (15 (0–72) for grade 1 vs. 15 (0–91) for grade 2, p = 0.97), FIGO stage (72 (27–91) vs. 2 (0–65) vs. 3 (0–6]) for stage IA, B, and II, respectively; p = 0.08), and tumor size (40 (2–72) for size < 30 mm vs. 4 (0–91) for size ≥ 30 mm, p = 0.39). Estrogen receptor-positive CTCs and CTC clusters were identified. The prognostic and therapeutic values of CTCs released during EC surgery need to be determined. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Cell Biology in Endometriosis and Endometrial Cancer)

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Open AccessArticle

Hsa-mir-135a Shows Potential as A Putative Diagnostic Biomarker in Saliva and Plasma for Endometriosis

and

Biomolecules 2022, 12(8), 1144; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12081144 - 19 Aug 2022

Viewed by 846

Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronic disease characterized by the implantation and proliferation of endometrial tissue outside of the uterine cavity. The nonspecific nature of the symptoms and the lack of sensitive, noninvasive diagnostic methods often lead to a significant delay in diagnosis, highlighting the need for diagnostic biomarkers. The correlation of circulating miRNAs with altered inflammatory signals seen in patients with endometriosis has raised the possibility that miRNAs can serve as biomarkers for the disease. In our study, we analyzed miRNA expression in saliva of women with and without endometriosis using a FireFly custom multiplex circulating miRNA assay. This focused panel included 28 human miRNAs, 25 of which have been previously found to be differentially expressed either in plasma, serum, and/or blood of women with endometriosis, compared to controls. We found that hsa-mir-135a was expressed significantly higher in the saliva of women with endometriosis, independent of disease stage and menstrual cycle phase. We confirmed that hsa-mir-135a also showed significantly elevated expression in the plasma of endometriosis patients. This indicates that hsa-mir-135a is a putative noninvasive biomarker of endometriosis in both saliva and plasma, but further validation studies are required to assess its clinical value as a biomarker. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Cell Biology in Endometriosis and Endometrial Cancer)

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Review

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Open AccessReview

Endometriosis-Associated Ovarian Cancer: What Are the Implications for Women with Intact Endometrioma Planning for a Future Pregnancy? A Reproductive Clinical Outlook

Johnny S. Younis

Biomolecules 2022, 12(11), 1721; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12111721 - 21 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1023

Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronic, universal, and prevalent disease estimated to affect up to 1:10 women of reproductive age. Endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer (EAOC) developing at reproductive age is challenging and of concern for women and practitioners alike. This outlook review focuses on the occurrence of EAOC, especially in infertile women or those planning for a future pregnancy, from the perspective of a reproductive endocrinologist, based on recent evidence. Contemporary pathogenesis, genetic profiles, evidence of causality, clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and up-to-date management are discussed. EAOC seems to be merely associated with endometrioma and includes clear-cell and endometrioid ovarian carcinoma. Although endometrioma is frequently found in women of reproductive age (up to 1:18 of women), EAOC appears to be a rare occurrence. These women are of more advanced reproductive age, nulliparous, and hyperestrogenic, with a large-sized unilateral endometrioma (>9 cm) containing solid components and papillary projections. Each case suspected to have EAOC has specific characteristics, and a multidisciplinary discussion and appropriate patient counseling should be conducted to reach an optimal therapeutic plan. Since most of these cases are diagnosed at an early stage with a favorable prognosis, fertility-sparing surgery may be feasible. The pros and cons of fertility preservation techniques should be discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Cell Biology in Endometriosis and Endometrial Cancer)

Open AccessReview

Emerging Drug Targets for Endometriosis

Marie-Madeleine Dolmans

and

Jacques Donnez

Biomolecules 2022, 12(11), 1654; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12111654 - 08 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1228

Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease causing distressing symptoms and requiring a life-long management strategy. The objective of this review is to evaluate endometriosis-related pathways and identify novel therapies to treat it. We focused on the crucial role of inflammation and inflammatory molecules in order to define new perspectives for non-hormonal treatment of the disease by targeting inflammation, nuclear factor kappa B and cytokines, or reactive oxygen species, apoptotic and autophagic pathways, regulators of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and angiogenesis and neuroangiogenesis. Novel non-steroidal therapies targeting these pathways for endometriosis were explored, but multiple challenges remain. While numerous agents have been investigated in preclinical trials, few have reached the clinical testing stage because of use of inappropriate animal models, with no proper study design or reporting of preclinical strategies. Targeting estrogens is still the best way to control endometriosis progression and inflammation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Cell Biology in Endometriosis and Endometrial Cancer)

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Open AccessReview

Interferon Signaling in the Endometrium and in Endometriosis

Yuri Park

and

Sang Jun Han

Biomolecules 2022, 12(11), 1554; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12111554 - 25 Oct 2022

Viewed by 1106

Abstract

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent inflammatory disease that develops in reproductive-aged women who experience pelvic pain and infertility. Even though endometriosis is not a new disease, its molecular etiology has not been clearly elucidated. Defects in the immune system might be one of the factors that promote endometriosis progression. For example, elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines are associated with endometriosis. Interferon is one of the cytokines that is elevated in endometriotic tissues compared with normal endometrium. Therefore, high interferon levels play a crucial role in endometriosis progression. In addition to endometriosis, however, interferon has a critical role in endometrial function, particularly in the initiation and maintenance of pregnancy. Therefore, this review describes the double-edged sword of interferon signaling in normal endometrial function versus endometriosis progression and also discusses interferon targeting as a new nonhormonal therapy for endometriosis. This approach may increase the efficacy of endometriosis treatment and reduce the adverse effects associated with current hormonal therapy for this disease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Cell Biology in Endometriosis and Endometrial Cancer)

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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Ovarian cancer in women with endometriosis: what are the implications for women with an intact endometrioma planning for a future pregnancy?
Authors: Johnny S. Younis
Affiliation: Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Poriya and Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel.

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Special Issue "Molecular and Cell Biology in Endometriosis and Endometrial Cancer"

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