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Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists are widely used in the treatment of women with symptomatic leiomyomas. The effectiveness of this treatment, as far as symptoms are concerned, is well established, and in recent years many studies have contributed to defining the optimal role for GnRH agonists. Side-effects and health risks prohibit the long-term use of these compounds. The combine...

480 Leiomyomas are rare, benign neoplasms that arise from smooth muscles. The condition was first reported in 1854 by Rudolf Virchow [1, 2]. According to the site of origin we can distinguish piloleiomyoma (deriving from the arrector pili muscles of hair follicles), genital leiomyoma (originating from the tunica dartos of the scrotum, and mammary muscles of nipples), and angioleiomyoma (arising...

Uterine leiomyomas are the most common gynecologic neoplasm in reproductive-age women. While it is clear that hormonal factors play a prominent role in this disease, how steroid hormones contribute to disease etiology or may be utilized as targets for intervention are currently areas of active scientific investigation. To study the impact of hormones on uterine leiomyomas, the Eker rat has been...

A high prevalence of uterine leiomyoma has been reported in Baltic gray seals aged 15 years and above. Studies on Baltic seals during the 1970s revealed high tissue concentrations of the organochlorines bis(chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lowered reproduction rate, and pathologic changes. In the second half of the 1970s, decreases of PCB and DDT i...

Uterine fibroids are the commonest uterine benign tumors. A potential mechanism of malignant transformation from leiomyomas to leiomyosarcomas has been described. Tyrosine phosphorylation is a key mechanism that controls biological functions, such as proliferation and cell differentiation. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the phosphorylation of epithelial growth factor-receptor (EGF...