Evidence that endometriosis behaves in a malignant manner

Abstract

It is well known that certain aspects of endometriosis are similar to those of malignant disease. For example, like cancer, endometriosis can be both locally and distantly metastatic; it attaches to other tissues, invades, and damages them. Endometriosis is a common disease that does not create a cachectic or catabolic state, and is rarely fatal. There are, however, numerous reported cases of malignancy arising from endometriotic deposits and substantial histologic evidence that endometriosis is associated with endometrioid carcinoma and clear cell carcinoma of the ovary. A large review article by Mostoufizadeh and Scully investigated the association between endometriosis and endometrioid ca..