Biological differences between focal and diffuse adenomyosis and response to hormonal treatment

Khaleque Newaz Khan, Khaleque N Khan, Akira Fujishita, Fujishita A, Akemi Koshiba, Koshiba A, Taisuke Mori, Mori T, Haruo Kuroboshi, Kuroboshi H, Ogi H, Hiroshi Ogi, Kyoko Itoh, Itoh K, Masahiro Nakashima, Nakashima M, Kitawaki J, Jo Kitawaki
Reproductive biomedicine online · 2018 · vol. 38(4) , pp. 634–646 · doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2018.12.015 · PMID:30850322 · W2906654423
article OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 14 in-corpus citations
View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This study investigated the biological distinctions between focal and diffuse adenomyosis and their respective responses to hormonal treatments.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

Research questionIs there any difference in ovarian steroid receptor expression and pattern of fibrosis in focal and diffuse adenomyosis and response to hormonal treatment?DesignProspective controlled study where biopsy samples were prospectively collected after surgery from 30 women with focal adenomyosis, 21 women with diffuse adenomyosis and 20 women with uterine myoma. Some of these women underwent 3-6 months of treatment with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) before surgery. Tissue expression of oestrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) was analysed by immunohistochemistry. Distribution of tissue fibrosis was examined by Masson's trichrome staining with computer-based image analysis of fibrosis in tissues derived from women with and without adenomyosis.ResultsThere was no difference in ER/PR expression in gland cells/stromal cells of adenomyotic lesions on the ipsilateral side of focal adenomyosis and the anterior/posterior walls of diffuse adenomyosis. Compared to myoma tissues, a relatively decreased expression of ovarian steroid receptors was observed in both focal and diffuse adenomyosis. Image analysis of tissue fibrosis indicated more fibrosis in both focal and diffuse adenomyosis compared to fibrosis in the myometrium derived from women with uterine myoma. The pattern of fibrosis was no different in tissues derived from GnRHa-treated and -untreated women with focal and diffuse adenomyosis.ConclusionsNo difference was found in the expression of ER/PR and entity of fibrosis between women with focal and diffuse adenomyosis regardless of GnRHa treatment. A lower expression of ER/PR compared to myoma tissue potentially clarifies the biological rationale of non-response to hormonal therapies for adenomyosis.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

adenomyosis

MeSH descriptors

Adenomyosis Adenomyosis Hormones Myoma Myoma Uterine Neoplasms Uterine Neoplasms Adenomyosis Adult Biopsy Estrogen Receptor alpha Estrogen Receptor alpha Female Fibrosis Fibrosis Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Hormones Humans Inflammation

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (34)

Cited by (14)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-07-26T06:08:39.051465+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-05-13T22:22:54.901233+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK