A new way to diagnose endometriosis quickly

Endometriosis affects about one in 10 women in the world, but it can still take years to be diagnosed. “Endometriosis is a terrible disease that causes a lot of pain for women and has a big impact on fertility. It takes an average of seven to 10 years after the onset of symptoms to arrive at the diagnosis in industrialized countries,” says Dr. Philippe Descamps, head of the obstetrics and gynecology department at the Angers University Hospital in Angers, France, and director of the regional reference centre for endometriosis, EndoRef-Angers. The gynecologist, accompanied by medical colleagues, joined forces with an emerging company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) and high-throughput sequencing, to find a solution to facilitate the diagnosis of endometriosis. Read: Breastfeeding protective against deadliest type of ovarian cancer The researchers published a study in the Journal of Clinical Medicine earlier this year, which involved taking blood and saliva samples from 200 women suffering from pelvic pain similar to that of endometriosis. Using AI and high-throughput sequencing, they identified a total of 2,600 microRNAs (i.e., small non-coding RNAs that can prevent the expression of a gene) along with 86 micro RNAs involved in the pathophysiology of endometriosis. The saliva test, called Endotest, also produced impressive results, with a diagnostic performance greater than 98%. Non-invasive test The concept of the test is quite simple, explains Dr. Descamps. The patient simply spits into a small tube until the saliva reaches the line marked on the container, then shakes it 10 times. Subsequently, the test can be put in an envelope and sent to a specialized laboratory. “We set up a saliva test because we realized that saliva is an extremely stable medium which makes sampling very easy,” explains Dr. Descamps. Indeed, the saliva sample can be analyzed several days after collection without it being altered. Although the test does not require the help of a health professional for collection, Dr. Descamps specifies that it must be prescribed and given to the patient by a doctor. "It's not like a pregnancy test that you would buy at the pharmacy, for example. The Endotest requires medical supervision, since regardless of whether the result is positive or negative, the patient must be taken care of for the symptoms." Read: Endometriosis: How advocacy awareness and algorithms could shorten the long wait for diagnosis and treatment A breakthrough for women's health “Unfortunately, even today, many women and teenage girls with endometriosis struggle to get a diagnosis. Facilitating this [Endotest] is a major step forward for women's health,” says Dr. Descamps. “The sooner we treat endometriosis, the sooner we improve the quality of life of patients,” he says, adding that he hopes with early diagnosis, surgeries can eventually be avoided. The Endotest has been available in Switzerland since June 30. In France, negotiations between the manufacturer and the government are still ongoing as to reimbursement, but the test is expected to be available soon. Dr. Descamps also points out that talks are currently underway to launch studies in North America to obtain approval for Endotests from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This article has been translated from its original French and originally appeared on our sister site Profession Santé. Read: Managing and mitigating menstrual migraine

A new way to diagnose endometriosis quickly

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