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Rochester study rolls out RU-486 to treat uterine fibroids
December 07, 2006Low doses of the drug mifepristone shrink uterine fibroid tumors and greatly improve the quality of life in women who suffer from pain and heavy bleeding, according to a University of Rochester study published in the December Obstetrics and Gynecology journal.
Leiomyoma, the medical term for uterine fibroids, affects roughly half of all women aged 35 to 49. The non-cancerous tumors cause iron-deficiency anemia due to excessive menstrual bleeding, and deeply impact the quality of life for women who have this condition. Thousands of women annually opt for hysterectomies or have the tumors removed surgically because no other medical treatment has been proven effective, the study said.
"With no approved treatment for symptomatic fibroids, this study and its findings are very significant," said corresponding author Kevin Fiscella, M.D., M.P.H., of the Department of Family Medicine Research Program at the University of Rochester Medical Center. "Interestingly, this is the same drug that was recently shown to prevent breast cancer in a rat model. Federal funding for research related to mifepristone should be given a high priority."
Doctors have known from prior data that mifepristone, an antiprogestin, might help uterine fibroids. But the benefits had not been confirmed until now. The University of Rochester study is the first randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial of mifepristone, also known as RU-486, to establish that it can be safely used at low doses to treat uterine fibroids. Forty-two premenopausal women from western New York volunteered to participate in the clinical trial from March 2004 to March 2005.
Of the total, 22 women received mifepristone at 5 mg daily, and 20 women received an identical looking placebo pill daily, for six months. Doctors sought to evaluate physical changes as well as quality of life improvements. To assess the latter, they used a survey with a 100-point scale that asked questions such as: "During the past month, how distressed were you by: heavy bleeding during your menstrual period, feeling tightness or pressure in your pelvic area, or feeling fatigued\\\
University of Rochester Medical Center
Doctors have known from prior data that mifepristone, an antiprogestin, might help uterine fibroids. But the benefits had not been confirmed until now. The University of Rochester study is the first randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial of mifepristone, also known as RU-486, to establish that it can be safely used at low doses to treat uterine fibroids. Forty-two premenopausal women from western New York volunteered to participate in the clinical trial from March 2004 to March 2005.
Of the total, 22 women received mifepristone at 5 mg daily, and 20 women received an identical looking placebo pill daily, for six months. Doctors sought to evaluate physical changes as well as quality of life improvements. To assess the latter, they used a survey with a 100-point scale that asked questions such as: "During the past month, how distressed were you by: heavy bleeding during your menstrual period, feeling tightness or pressure in your pelvic area, or feeling fatigued\\\
University of Rochester Medical Center
Uterine Fibroids Current Events and Uterine Fibroids News RSSMajor surgery no longer needed for the removal of uterine fibroids
The treatment of uterine fibroids with 3T MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is safe, non-invasive and effective, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, NY.
Minimally invasive fibroid treatment fares well in multicenter trial
A new multicenter trial found that uterine artery embolization (UAE) is a good alternative to hysterectomy in women with symptomatic fibroids. The findings of the Embolisation versus Hysterectomy (EMMY) Trial appear in the March issue of the journal Radiology.
Focused ultrasound relieves fibroid symptoms in women
A noninvasive ultrasound procedure effectively shrinks uterine fibroids and significantly relieves fibroid-related symptoms in women.
Enhanced MR-guided focused ultrasound guidelines demonstrate improved efficacy and durability
Data released today show that MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is a more effective option for a broader population of uterine fibroid sufferers.
MicroRNAs Can Be Tumor Suppressors
University of Virginia researchers have discovered that microRNAs, a form of genetic material, can function as tumor suppressors in laboratory studies.
MicroRNAs as tumor suppressors
In the May 1st issue of G&D, Drs. Yong Sun Lee and Anindya Dutta (UVA) reveal that microRNAs can function as tumor suppressors in vitro.
Chance of hysterectomy predicted by multi-year study
A woman's chance of undergoing a hysterectomy can now be accurately predicted, according to new UCSF study findings.
Penn researchers start new clinical trial to examine ways to improve treatment of uterine fibroids
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are working on ways to improve the results of a non-surgical method to treat fibroids.
Harmful chemicals may reprogram gene response to estrogen
New research shows that exposure to harmful chemicals and drugs during critical developmental periods early in life may actually "reprogram" the way certain genes respond to the female hormone estrogen. This genetic reprogramming may determine whether people with a genetic predisposition for a disease actually develop the disease.
UK researchers develop novel treatment for fibroids
UK researchers have developed a novel method of treating uterine fibroids that allows women to be treated under local anaesthetic as outpatients. Their technique, which uses a laser guided by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is reported today (Friday 27 September) in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal, Human Reproduction.* Around a quarter of women have fibroids - benign fibrous tumours - in their wombs. Many have no symptoms but others suffer heavy or prolonged periods and pain, and sometimes face reproductive problems including infertility or miscarriage. In the UK last year there were 47,000 hysterectomies and 60% involved fibroids. In the USA around 400,000 hysterectomies a
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