Objective: To examine the relationship between estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) content in needle biopsy specimens and the growth of uterine leiomyomata after biopsy.
Design: Prospective clinical study.
Setting: University teaching hospital.
Patient(s): Thirty-one women with uterine leiomyomata and a normal menstrual cycle.
Intervention(s): Transcervical needle biopsy of uterine leiomyomata.
Main outcome measure(s): The relationships between histologic features (smooth muscle content, immunohistochemical expression of ER and PR) and the percent increase over a 12-month observation period in the volume of the largest myoma nodule measured by magnetic resonance imaging were analyzed.
Result(s): Both the density and intensity of immunohistochemical staining of PRs in uterine leiomyoma tissue showed significant positive correlation with leiomyoma growth.
Conclusion(s): The growth of uterine leiomyomata can be determined by histologic and immunohistochemical analysis of needle biopsy specimens from uterine leiomyomata.