Endometriosis could be treated with cancer drug, research suggests

A drug currently used for cancer treatment might have the potential to help treat endometriosis as soon as 2030, new research has shown.

Dichloroacetate has been seen to be effective in breaking down the cells that cause endometriosis, an often-painful condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body.

Currently, there is no cure for the condition, which affects one in 10 women globally. The different treatments available aim to reduce the severity of symptoms and improve the quality of life of women with the disease.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh discovered that cells from the pelvic wall of women with endometriosis have a different metabolism compared to women without the disease. The cells produced higher amounts of lactate, a potentially harmful waste product, which is similar to the behaviour of cancer cells.

The team found that when the cells from women with endometriosis were treated with dichloroacetate, they returned to normal metabolic behaviour.

The scientists also noted a reduction in lactate and an impact on the growth of endometrial cells grown together with the pelvic cells.

Now, lead researcher Andrew Horne, Professor of Gynaecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, is moving the clinical trial of dichloroacetate in endometriosis cases into its second phase, with hopes the drug could be prescribed on the NHS within the next five years.

“We’re really excited about the next phase of the trial. There have been very few trials of non-hormonal treatments, and so we are largely the leaders in this field,” Professor Horne told The Telegraph.

“We hope the drugs will reduce the disease volume, and our studies so far have given us an indication that they don’t only affect the symptoms but the disease and prevent it from progressing.”

The trial is still in its preliminary stages, and Horne and his team hope the launch of the next phase will give a more definitive answer on dichloroacetate’s efficacy.

Janet Lindsay, CEO of Wellbeing of Women, said: “More than 176 million women suffer from endometriosis yet few people have heard of it and treatment, which can impact fertility, has progressed very little for over 40 years.

“We are delighted that Professor Andrew Horne’s new treatment going to clinical trial could hugely impact so many women’s lives.”