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A groundbreaking new imaging tool could dramatically cut the long wait for an endometriosis diagnosis and spare invasive procedures for patients.
Scientists have developed a method allowing medics to visualise new blood vessel growth and inflammation within the body.
Currently, the average time for an official endometriosis diagnosis in the UK is about nine years and four months. This delay often occurs as symptoms, such as extremely painful and heavy periods, tiredness, and discomfort during sex or when using the toilet, are mistaken for other conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Endometriosis happens when cells similar to those lining the womb grow in other parts of the body.
Traditional diagnosis involves multiple tests, including vaginal examinations, ultrasounds, MRI scans, and often a laparoscopy – an invasive surgical procedure.
The new technique, however, uses maraciclatide, a molecular tracer injected into the patient, which binds to a specific protein.
A SPECT-CT scan then shows where the agent accumulated, providing an image of inflamed areas or lesions.
The Detect trial, led by maraciclatide developer Serac Healthcare and the Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health at the University of Oxford, recruited 20 women, 17 of whom had a laparoscopy after a SPECT-CT scan.
Some 19 patients completed the study, which found that the new imaging technique was able to detect the presence or absence of endometriosis in 16 women (84 per cent).
It was also able to provide images of the condition in 14 of the 17 patients who had the condition confirmed through surgery.
This included two cases of thoracic endometriosis, a rare form of the condition where tissue grows in the chest cavity.
Professor Christian Becker, co-director of the Endometriosis CaRe Centre in Oxford and co-lead of the study, said: “Novel, non-invasive diagnostic tests for endometriosis are a global research priority.
“The diagnostic challenge of endometriosis, which presents with varied and non-specific symptoms, is exacerbated by an absence of clinically validated biomarkers and the limitations of currently available imaging techniques.”
If the results are replicated in further studies, Prof Becker said maraciclatide could be “an extremely valuable tool” which could “reduce diagnostic delays” and potentially help develop new treatments.
Dr Tatjana Gibbons, of the Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health at the University of Oxford, described the findings, published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health, as “exciting”.
She said they show maraciclatide “offers a highly promising diagnostic and monitoring tool, particularly for superficial peritoneal endometriosis, which is the most common and yet the hardest type of endometriosis to identify”.
“We are hugely grateful to the patients who have participated in the Detect study without whom investigating this diagnostic approach would not have been possible,” Dr Gibbons added.
Professor Krina Zondervan, co-director of the Endometriosis CaRe Centre, head of department at the Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, said: “If these results are confirmed in larger phase three studies, imaging with maraciclatide could transform clinical research and practice and potentially empower the development of treatments for women across the globe.”
