Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2011 Jun 21;9:87. doi: 10.1186/1477-7827-9-87.
Endometriosis is defined as the growth of endometrial tissue outside of the uterine cavity. The disease occurs primarily in women of reproductive age but recurrent endometriosis is also detected in post-menopausal women. Regardless of age, endometriosis is associated with pain and reduces the quality of life for millions of women world-wide. Conventional therapies focus on reducing systemic levels of estrogen which results in cessation of endometriotic implant growth and pain symptoms associated with the disease. However, these treatments are not effective in all women and are not without side effects. Based upon the discovery that endometriotic tissue over-expresses aromatase, an enzyme critical for estrogen production, emphasis has been placed upon the use of aromatase inhibitors for the treatment of endometriosis and its associated symptoms. This article will review the rationale behind the use of aromatase inhibitors in treating endometriosis and summarize those studies which have evaluated the use of aromatase inhibitors in the treatment of endometriosis and its associated symptoms.
子宫内膜异位症被定义为子宫内膜组织在子宫腔外的生长。这种疾病主要发生在育龄妇女中，但也在绝经后妇女中发现复发性子宫内膜异位症。无论年龄大小，子宫内膜异位症都会引起疼痛，并降低全世界数百万妇女的生活质量。传统疗法侧重于降低全身雌激素水平，从而导致子宫内膜异位症种植体生长停止和与疾病相关的疼痛症状。然而，这些治疗方法并非对所有女性都有效，而且并非没有副作用。基于发现子宫内膜异位症组织过度表达芳香化酶，这是雌激素产生的关键酶，因此强调使用芳香化酶抑制剂治疗子宫内膜异位症及其相关症状。本文将回顾使用芳香化酶抑制剂治疗子宫内膜异位症的基本原理，并总结评估芳香化酶抑制剂治疗子宫内膜异位症及其相关症状的研究。
