Imaging of endometriosis with total-body PET-CT (PET-Endo)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Novel non-invasive imaging of endometriosis using total-body PET-CT (PET-Endo) Programme
IRAS ID
350339
Contact name
Lucy H R Whitaker
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 2 days
Research summary
Endometriosis is a disease that affects 1 in 10 women and is associated with debilitating pain and infertility.
Endometriosis is where cells similar to those lining the womb (the ‘endometrium’) grow elsewhere in the body, forming ‘lesions’. Most commonly the lesions grow on the lining of the pelvic cavity, called ‘peritoneal’ endometriosis. Lesions can also grow on the ovary, this is called ‘ovarian’ endometriosis, or form nodules, called ‘deep’ endometriosis.
At present the only way to confidently identify endometriosis is through surgery, this exposes patient to the risks of surgery and contributes to the diagnostic delay associated with endometriosis.
PET-CT is a specialist scan that is commonly used to identify cancers which cannot be seen on other types of scans. PET-CT uses a ‘tracer’, a substance given into a vein which then accumulates in areas of disease.
This project will determine if a new specialist scan, total body PET-CT, and novel tracers that were developed for other conditions can be used to identify some of the key pathways in endometriosis: bleeding and scarring. Being able to identify these processes in endometriosis lesions and being able to track how they change over time would improve our understanding of endometriosis. We also want to know if these pathways are different between superficial, deep and ovarian endometriosis, and what the impact is of the hormones related to the menstrual cycle.
In this study we will ask up to 40 people who have had endometriosis to undergo two total-body PET-CT scans in Edinburgh, one at one visit and one around a month later. We will also ask them to have a MRI scan at the same visit. They will either have the same tracer at each visit, but the scan performed at a different stage of the menstrual cycle, or have a different tracer at each visit.REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
25/NS/0004
Date of REC Opinion
11 Feb 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion