The second National Institutes of Health International Congress on advances in uterine leiomyoma research: conference summary and future recommendations.

OBJECTIVE To summarize the proceedings of the Advances in Uterine Leiomyoma Research: 2nd NIH International Congress, which was convened on February 24-25, 2005 by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. DESIGN Scientific information was presented at a 2-day conference, which was a collaborative effort of agencies across the DHHS and members of the academic, clinical, and medical communities involved in uterine leiomyoma research. CONCLUSION(S) The conference brought together scientists in biomedicine, epidemiology, basic research, therapeutics, and translational medicine and fostered an exchange of scientific information among members of the uterine leiomyoma research and health care communities. This document summarizes this exchange and outlines research needs and recommendations for future research directions.