What are Fibroid Tumors?
Fibroid tumors are tumors which develop in areas of the body with smooth muscle cells. The vast majority of fibroids, as these tumors are sometimes called, appear in the uterus, most classically in women between 30 and 40 years of age. Fibroids are also sometimes referred to as leiomyomas or myomas. Treatment for fibroid tumors depends on the woman and her individual symptoms, although because these tumors are benign and typically slow-growing, often the best treatment is just to leave the fibroids alone. As the “fibroid” might suggest to you, fibroid tumors are comprised of fibrous material which makes them hard to the touch. They can grow inside the muscle walls of the uterus, in which case they are known as intramural fibroid tumors, or they can start just below the mucosa which lines the uterus, developing into submucous fibroids. If fibroid tumors start near the outside wall of the uterus, they are called subserous fibroids, and these tumors can also develop on small stalks inside
Fibroids are benign (non-cancerous) tumors, or growths, within the muscle wall of the uterus. Each fibroid is thought to arise from a single cell which grows into a mass. Both estrogen and progesterone hormones (products of the ovaries) are thought to promote the growth of fibroids. Some fibroids will remain stable in size over many years while others will appear suddenly and grow quite rapidly. Whether or not treatment is needed depends on the size, location, and rate of growth of the fibroids. Symptoms are caused by the size of the fibroids themselves (heaviness or pressure in the pelvis), or by pressure on surrounding organs such as the bladder or large intestine. Very rarely, about 1 in 10,000 cases, a fibroid may develop into a sarcoma, or very aggressive cancer.Many fibroids produce no symptoms at all, and are simply noted during the course of routine annual examinations and Pap smears. Others will cause heavy and prolonged periods. In still other situations, the size and positio
Fibroid tumors are non-cancerous (benign) growths that develop in the muscular wall of the uterus. While fibroids do not always cause symptoms, their size and location can lead to problems for some women, including pain and heavy bleeding. Fibroids can range in size from very tiny to the size of a cantaloupe or larger. In some cases they can cause the uterus to grow to the size of a five-month pregnancy or more. Which patients are at risk for fibroid tumors? From 20 percent to 40 percent of women age 35 and older — and as many as 50 percent of African-American women — have uterine fibroids of a significant size. Most women do not experience serious problems and do not seek treatment and some can be treated with medication. In addition to hystectomy, myomectomy, the surgical removal of the fibroids, is often recommended to relieve their fibroid symptoms. Typically, however, the more fibroids a patient has, the less successful the myomectomy. Additionally, fibroids grow back several year
