Prevention of uterine fibroids: Molecular mechanisms and potential clinical application

Mohamed Ali, María Victoria Bariani, Somayeh Vafaei, Mervat M. Omran, Qiwei Yang, Obianuju Sandra Madueke-Laveaux, Ayman Al‐Hendy
In: Journal of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders · 2023 · vol. 1 , pp. 100018 · doi:10.1016/j.jeud.2023.100018 · PMID:37637856 · PMC10451784 · W4320912424
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This review discusses molecular mechanisms of uterine fibroid development and proposes shear wave elastography as a screening tool to identify at-risk women who could benefit from preventive strategies like vitamin D and green tea.

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Abstract

• Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumor to women of reproductive age with no clear pathomechanism. • Current medical therapies are designed to blunt the stimulatory effects of gonadal steroid hormones on uterine fibroids growth. Therefore they are contraindicated in women actively pursuing a pregnancy and are otherwise approved only for short-term use due to long-term safety concerns. • Deeper insights regarding tumor etiology are the key for developing newer therapeutic/preventive therapies. • SWE can be used as a screening tool with subsequent prevention strategies for women at risk of uterine fibroids development. • SWE can be used to monitor response to medical therapy in patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids (UFs; leiomyoma) are the most common benign neoplastic threat to women worldwide, exacting an immense personal burden on female health and a monetary expense to the healthcare system estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars every year globally. With no long-term non-invasive treatment option currently available to treat UFs, deeper insights regarding tumor etiology are the key for developing newer therapies. Accordingly, in this review, we discuss new mechanistic paradigm to explain UF tumor development through an exquisite model involving developmental reprogramming of myometrial stem cells due to early life endocrine disruptors exposure, inflammation, fibrosis, DNA damage, and eventually tissue stiffness. Further, we propose to utilize shear wave elastography as a potential screening tool for the early identification of women at risk for developing UFs who can benefit from several simple preventive strategies, including the consumption of natural compounds such as vitamin D and green tea as a safe fertility friendly non-hormonal modality to delay or even arrest or reverse UF progression.

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SciLite annotations

organisms 2
noordeloos 2009062 noordeloos 2009062
chemicals 1
vitamin d

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