No REST for fibroids

Abstract

Good news: A long-awaited model for uterine fibroid tumor research is upon us (1). Historically, there has been a paucity of in vivo models for the study of fibroid tumors (i.e., leiomyomas), benign female pelvic organ tumors characterized by clonal proliferation of smooth muscle cells and expression of genes involved in fibrosis and extracellular matrix (ECM) production. This is staggering, considering that prevalence rates of leiomyomata in women at 50 y of age are nearly 70% in white women and more than 80% in black women (2). This level of penetrance contributes to the high number of hysterectomies performed every year in the United States that equates to crippling medical costs reported to be greater than $2 billion annually (3, 4).