{"id":639714,"date":"2026-05-01T00:44:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T00:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/639714\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T00:44:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T00:44:18","slug":"non-invasive-endometriosis-scan-trial-boosts-hope-for-faster-diagnosis-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/639714\/","title":{"rendered":"Non-invasive endometriosis scan trial boosts hope for faster diagnosis – National"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new study from Oxford University<\/a> is raising hopes for a potential non-invasive endometriosis scan that could help give women an earlier explanation for their symptoms.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And while the research is still in very early stages, endometriosis experts say it\u2019s part of a growing body of research on finding better ways to diagnose the roughly one in 10 women in Canada who have the condition, where the lining of the uterus grows outside of it, causing significant and chronic pain.<\/p>\n

Nineteen people with confirmed or suspected endometriosis were evaluated through a specialized SPECT-CT scan, along with an injection of a molecular tracer called maraciclatide. It attached to areas where new blood vessels were forming \u2014 believed to be a key part of early endometriosis growth.<\/p>\n

As a result, the new technique was able to correctly detect the presence or absence of endometriosis in 16 women.<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

It was also found that the specialized CT scans are \u201caccurately detecting endometriotic lesions\u201d that is often \u201cmissed by conventional imaging methods.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Click<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2:59
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLet\u2019s Talk About It, Period: Could non-invasive test revolutionize endometriosis diagnosis?\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is an urgent need for advancement in non-invasive or minimally invasive imaging of endometriosis, particularly superficial peritoneal endometriosis, given the current reliance on invasive procedures for an accurate diagnosis,\u201d the study reads.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe DETECT study describes, for the first time to our knowledge, a minimally invasive diagnostic technique.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study is the second phase of research meant to \u201cgenerate preliminary evidence of imaging performance characteristics.\u201d The third phase will aim\u00a0to \u201cvalidate these findings in a larger group of participants.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tEndometriosis recognized as the ‘missed disease’\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

President-elect of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) Dr. Nicholas Leyland called endometriosis a \u201cdisease of symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

Endometriosis Canada<\/a> lists common symptoms to be chronic pelvic pain, painful periods, pain during or after intercourse, infertility or difficulty conceiving, gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating, constipation, or diarrhea (especially during menstruation).<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Receive<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGet weekly health news<\/p>\n

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.<\/p>\n

There is not yet a definitive cause for endometriosis, but those with a close relative with endometriosis have a higher chance of having the condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf women experience pain for longer periods of time untreated, it can affect the nervous system to make it even more difficult to treat for these patients,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A 2021 National Library of Medicine study<\/a> coined endometriosis as the \u201cmissed disease\u201d due to the lack of information on its causes and \u201cinconsistencies in its diagnosis and management.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike other long-term conditions such as diabetes and asthma, endometriosis has remained largely ignored in government policy and research funding globally,\u201d the study reads.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very validating for women to realize that the symptoms that they\u2019re having are real and they\u2019re related to a problem such as endometriosis, because many women have been gaslit by lots of different providers \u2014 not just doctors, but a lot of people around and family \u2014 that their symptoms are normal,\u201d Leyland said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tDiagnosing endometriosis can take 5-7 years\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore on Health
\n\t\t\tMore videos\n\t\t<\/p>\n

According to Endometriosis Network Canada<\/a>, the condition affects at least one in 10 women in Canada, with almost 2 million Canadians estimated to have endometriosis.<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

The Oxford University study also states that approximately 190 million people worldwide have endometriosis.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Click<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2:59
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLet\u2019s talk about it, period: Women call for action on severe menstrual pain\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Dr. Dafna Sussman, associate professor in biomedical engineering and biomedical physics departments at Toronto Metropolitan University, called Canada\u2019s current approach a \u201cmethod of elimination.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReferring to different specialists, trying different treatments or interventions, effectively only to rule out other causes of the symptoms,\u201d she said in an emailed statement to Global News. \u201cMany patients undergo repeated untargeted investigation and treatments, including unnecessary surgeries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sussman also added that \u201cmultiple specialist referrals and diagnostic investigations require significant time to schedule,\u201d making the time to receiving a diagnosis lengthier.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach specialist may initiate different treatments or medications, which must be trialed over time to assess their effectiveness. Collectively, these delays accumulate, often resulting in several years before a definitive diagnosis is reached.\u201d<\/p>\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n

Leyland also echoed the sentiment that \u201cthe problem is the delay in diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrying to train all providers, midwives, nurses, doctors, school nurses, and even the patients themselves that these symptoms when they\u2019re interfering with their quality of life are actually not normal. So that\u2019s unfortunately why it takes five to seven years in Canada to get proper management and diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sussman cited the \u201ccurrent gold standard\u201d for receiving an endometriosis diagnosis is through a \u201claparoscopic visualization,\u201d a procedure where a surgeon views internal organs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an invasive surgical procedure most patients would opt to avoid,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

With new technologies being developed, Leyland said that \u201cwe are not quite there yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot more work to do in terms of education, but ultrasound is one of the tools that really helps, I think allows us to make the diagnosis and plan for appropriate treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\t&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new study from Oxford University is raising hopes for a potential non-invasive endometriosis scan that could help…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":639715,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[49,48,19605,84],"class_list":["post-639714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-endometriosis","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639714\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}