Figure 5.

A revised stem cell theory that proposes a cellular model for the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Blue and yellow green quadrangles represent endometrial epithelial stem/progenitor cells without or with CAMs, respectively. Light orange and blue snap pea-like shapes represent endometrial stromal stem/progenitor cells and their daughter cells. Red arrows indicate the progressive generation from the left to right. The asterisks indicate endometrial cells that are derived from eutopic endometrium and implanted ectopically via retrograde menstruation and/or vascular lymphatic dissemination. The detailed explanation of this figure is provided in the text. SP, side population; CAMs, cancer-associated mutations.