ORIGINAL ARTICLE Gynaecology Profibrotic interleukin-33 is correlated with uterine leiomyoma tumour burden

study question: Are interleukin-33 (IL-33) serum levels higher in women with uterine leiomyoma compared with controls without leiomyoma? summaryanswer: Serum IL-33 is elevated inwomenwith uterine leiomyoma and correlatedwith features of uterine leiomyoma tumour burden, namely fibroid number, size and weight. what is known already: Uterine leiomyomas are the most common benign tumours in premenopausal women associated with major tissue fibrosis. IL-33 is a cytokine involved in fibrotic disorders. The potential role of IL-33 in leiomyoma has not been reported before. studydesign, size, duration: This is a prospective laboratory study conducted in a tertiary-careuniversity hospital between January 2005 and December 2010.We investigated non-pregnant, 42-year-old patients (n 151) during surgery for a benign gynaecological condition. participants/materials, setting, methods: After complete surgical exploration of the abdominopelvic cavity, 59 women with histologically proved uterine leiomyoma and 92 leiomyoma-free control womenwere enrolled.Womenwith endometriosis or past history of ovarianmalignancy and borderline tumourswere not included. The control group includedwomenwith benign ovarian cysts, paratubal cysts or