Intratumoral blood flow in uterine myoma correlated with a lower tumor size and volume, but not correlated with cell proliferation or angiogenesis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the correlation of intratumoral blood flow in uterine myoma with cell proliferation, angiogenesis, tumor size, and tumor volume.


METHODS
Thirty-nine patients who had been scheduled for surgery because of symptomatic uterine myomas were evaluated by transvaginal sonography and color Doppler ultrasound before surgery. The largest dimension of each tumor and the volumes of myomas were determined ultrasonographically. Pulsatility index (PI) was determined by color Doppler ultrasound according to the maximum systolic, end-diastolic, and the mean flow velocities measured within the uterine nodules. After surgery, the paraffin-embedded slides containing representative leiomyoma tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, proliferating cell nuclear antigen for measurement of cell proliferation, and factor VIII for quantitation of microvessel density. The ultrasonographic findings were correlated postoperatively with pathologic findings, and the data were analyzed by simple linear regression and Fisher r to z transformation.


RESULTS
Simple regression analysis of the intratumoral PI values on the sizes of myomas showed a negative correlation (r = -0.47, P = .003; n = 39), whereas a less significant correlation between PI values and tumor volumes was observed (r = -0.42, P = .008). In contrast, no statistically significant correlation was observed between the intratumoral PI values and the values of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen index (r = 0.10, P = .547) or microvessel density counts (r = 0.18, P = .282).


CONCLUSIONS
The intratumoral blood flow by transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound correlated with a reduced tumor size and tumor volume, but did not correlate with cell proliferation or angiogenesis.
Huang
S C
SC
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan.
Yu
C H
CH
Huang
R T
RT
Hsu
K F
KF
Tsai
Y C
YC
Chou
C Y
CY
D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002455:Cell Division; D005169:Factor VIII / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D012043:Regression, Psychology; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*
D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D005169:Factor VIII