Racial diversity in uterine leiomyoma clinical studies.
OBJECTIVE
To examine racial diversity in clinical studies on uterine leiomyomas included in a review of evidence-based practice because of the disproportionate burden of fibroids in Black women.


METHODS
Review of 106 studies cited in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) report on uterine leiomyomas.


METHODS
Academic medical centers.


METHODS
None.


METHODS
Estimation of the racial diversity of enrollment in studies on leiomyomas that did not report racial composition by two hypothetical models.


METHODS
Representation of Black women in studies from the AHRQ report.


RESULTS
Of the 106 analyzed studies, 81 studies did not report patients' race or ethnicity. Twenty-two of the 25 studies with reported race or ethnicity included Black participants. Analysis of studies reporting race and ethnicity, including studies specifically of African-American women, suggests that Black women comprise approximately half of all study participants. However, when estimating the proportion of Black women based on population demographics in each country, the representation of Black women in clinical leiomyoma studies appears to be closer to 15%.


CONCLUSIONS
Most studies on uterine leiomyomas cited in the AHRQ evidence-based report did not report participation by race or ethnicity.
Taran
F Andrei
FA
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
Brown
Haywood L
HL
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
Stewart
Elizabeth A
EA
Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Electronic address: stewart.elizabeth@mayo.edu.
D000465:Algorithms; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy; D018579:Patient Selection; D044469:Racial Groups; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy