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Brian Vastag

JAMA. 2002;288:1342.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Up to 70% of women develop uterine fibroids, benign tumors that can cause pain, excessive bleeding, and infertility. A study using genetic microarray technology has found 145 genes that are overexpressed or underexpressed in the uterus of women with fibroids, a step toward discovering a "master switch" gene that may regulate tumor growth. The study also hints that a woman's susceptibility to fibroids may be inherited from her father.

Researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development examined some 12 000 genes in fibroid tissue and healthy uterine tissue from nine women who had undergone hysterectomy. In the fibroid tissue, they found 67 genes that were "turned on" more than normal and 78 genes that were "turned on" less than normal.

Many of the upregulated genes are involved in tissue growth, while many of the downregulated genes are involved in normal uterine tissue contraction. Combined, the . . . [Full Text of this Article]