Fenretinide: A Novel Therapy for the Treatment of Endometriosis

Endometriosis affects about 10% of reproductive aged women worldwide. Current therapies are limited and often ineffective. There is continued need to study novel pathways involvedin disease initiation, maintenance and progression in order to develop better therapies. We have promising in vitro data suggesting that treatment with fenretinide increases apoptosis and decreases endometriotic cell growth. This study would be the first to test the efficacy of fenretinde on human endometriotic tissue growth using an in vivo model. Promising results would serve as the basis for future human clinical trials.