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Instructor/Advisor

Scott McEnelly

Keywords

endometriosis, ovarian cancer, tissue associated macrophages/TAMs

Abstract

Endometriosis is a condition in which endometrial-like cells grow outside the uterus, causing lower abdominal and other types of pain from chronic inflammation, infertility, and increased risk of ovarian cancer, a cancer in which most cases are diagnosed at later stages, when the overall 5-year survival rate is only 47%. One possible explanation for this increased risk is that women with endometriosis have immune system abnormalities, including chronic inflammation and immune dysregulation, which impair the body's ability to clear abnormal cells. These immune changes may contribute to disease persistence and an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Increasing evidence suggests that immune cells, including tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play pivotal roles in the etiology and progression of these conditions. TAMs lie at the interface of the chronic immune suppression, tissue remodeling, and inflammation for both diseases. TAMs help aid in the growth of abnormal endometriotic tissue and immune evasion that could prevent the growth and spread of ovarian cancer. Understanding how TAMs and other immune cells interact in these diseases is key to developing new treatments that can improve the immune environment and benefit patients. This review highlights the potential of TAMs in the involvement in the transition of endometriosis to ovarian cancer and future research will focus on determining the association of endometriosis with TAMs in ovarian tumors.

The Role of Tumor-Associated Macrophages in the Link Between Endometriosis and Ovarian Cancer: Implications for Early Detection and Treatment

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