Endometriosis can present in almost any color, shape, size and location. This includes clear, microscopic papules that can lodge themselves on the underside of organs or beneath the skin. In reality, the lesions can be black, red, blue, brown, clear, and raspberry colored, and microscopic in size. The lesions can be spread throughout the entire abdominal region, bowels, bladder, and other areas, and may not be visible without proper magnifying equipment. However, recent studies indicate that women with Endometriosis may have a slightly greater risk of developing cancer of the breast or ovaries and a greater risk of cancers of the blood and lymph systems, including non-Hodgkin s lymphoma.
Researchers caution that the cause of the relationship is unclear.
According to lead study author, Dr. Louise Brinton of the Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics Division of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, the results are provocative in suggesting that women with Endometriosis may experience elevated risk of certain cancers. The women actually had a lower risk of cancer of the cervix. The Endometriotic tissue and its surroundings will be enriched in growth factors and cytokines that might have a deleterious effect on the growth regulation of other cells, some of which may be in distant organs - for example, breast tissue, Brinton wrote. The growth factors might act as carcinogens, thus promoting cancer. There are other possible explanations as well.