Early stages of endometriosis visible with non-invasive imaging
In a major advance in the diagnosis of endometriosis, Serac Healthcare, in collaboration with the University of Oxford, has published new data demonstrating the efficacy of 99mTc-malaciclacide in imaging the early stages of the disease.
Results from the DETECT study, presented by Dr Tatiana Gibbons at the European Endometriosis Society, revealed the drug’s potential as a non-invasive diagnostic tool.
In this study, the first 10 patients with suspected endometriosis were imaged with a SPECT-CT camera, followed by laparoscopic surgery to confirm the presence and location of endometriotic lesions.
Imaging findings were consistent with surgical and histological reports, suggesting that 99mTc-malaciclactide can accurately identify superficial peritoneal endometriosis, which accounts for approximately 80% of all diagnoses and is usually only detectable by surgery.
David Hale, CEO of Serac Healthcare, expressed optimism about the findings: “The promising initial findings, which are further confirmed by the larger number of patients in this study, point to the exciting possibility that malaciclatide may be able to non-invasively detect the earliest stages of endometriosis.”
The ongoing DETECT study, led by Professor Christian Becker and Professor Clina Zondervan from the Endometriosis Care Centre at the University of Oxford, aims to recruit up to 25 patients and is due to finish later this year.
99mTc-malaciclactide, which binds to αvβ3 integrin to image the formation of new blood vessels, has the potential to significantly shorten the average nine-year delay in diagnosing endometriosis.
This development positions the treatment as a breakthrough in the management of endometriosis, offering hope for early detection and treatment of the disease which affects millions of women worldwide.
