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Endometriosis is defined as the presence of functional endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. The most common clinical symptoms of endometriosis are infertility and chronic pelvic pain. Endometriosis affects 8-10% of women of reproductive age and the condition is highly associated with infertility. Ectopic endometrial tissue is usually found in the small pelvis and the peritoneum, but endometrial tissue deposits have also been reported in other anatomical locations in the human body. We describe the case of a young patient with persistent abdominal pain and bleeding via the rectum during menstrual periods, hospitalised at the Second Department of Surgery, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Faculty of Medicine and Louis Pasteur University Hospital Košice.

Galectins are representatives of endogenous lectins - molecules specifically recognizing distinct sugar motifs. They play an important role in the processes of cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and extracellular matrix formation. Furthermore, galectins are able to transfer cellular signals and to participate in intercellular interaction. It has been proven that galectins play an important role in the formation of tumor and/or wound healing microenvironment. This review contains an overview of experimental and clinical studies dealing with biological roles of galectins in tissue repair and in its parallel - the tumor growth.