Expression of oct-4 and c-kit antigens in endometriosis

Abstract

The objective of this study was to test the expression of the oct-4 and c-kit, both markers of stem cells, in the ectopic endometrial tissue of endometriotic lesions of women with severe endometriosis. Our findings show that ectopic epithelial cells express oct-4 and c-kit and this suggests that the ectopic endometrium in endometriosis has a stem cell origin and could explain the possible progression to ovarian cancer.