Timologou A¹, Ζafrakas Μ¹, Grimbizis G¹, MiliarasD², Kotronis K¹, Tarlatzis Β¹

¹1st Department for Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Papageorgiou hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
²Laboratory for Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

Correspondence: Timologou A, 1st Department for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Papageorgiou hospital, GR-56403 Thessaloniki, Greece. E-mail: atimolog@auth.gr

---

Abstract

Although several theories exist, the etiology and pathogenesis of endometriosis is poorly understood. Data from clinical and laboratory studies indicate that this disease has common characteristics with malignant neoplasms. The present review focuses on the common molecular mechanisms involved in both implantation of tissue at ectopic sites in endometriosis and tumor metastasis. Further investigation in this field is needed to increase our understanding about the biological background of the disease and lead to safer conclusions about the malignant potential of endometriosis.

Key words: endometriosis, pathogenesis, metastasis, molecular mechanisms

p. 89-94

---