oa EDITORIAL [Hot Topic: Endometriosis and Women’s Health (Guest Editor: Angelos Daniilidis)]

In this issue there is a combined effort of four European Departments of Gynecological Health in Greece, Romania and Scotland to approach the very interesting and still under research issue of endometriosis. In the beginning, N. Tsabazis try to give us an overview of pathogenesis and pathophysiology. Although pathogenesis and the mechanisms of pathophysiology are still debatable, the author manages to give us up to date knowledge about modern theories which uncover the important role of genetics and immune system. The ongoing immunological research will most probably shed more light to the numerous components in order to enable researchers to consider a holistic approach to the pathophysiology of the disease, making use of all the knowledge gathered so far. We are grateful to C. Sardeli, a specialist in the field of pharmacology. In her article she discusses the general principles on which classic and novel approaches in the pharmacotherapy of endometriosis are based and presents the classes of drugs involved. In conclusion, currently available pharmacotherapies are still not curative but symptomatic and aim either at decreasing ovarian estrogen production or at antagonizing estrogen action. Recurrence is the rule after cessation of treatment and pharmacotherapies are not suitable for women seeking conception....