Scientists in Finland have identified the mechanisms that underlie the development of the most common uterine fibroids, paving the way for new treatments to tackle the tumour.
Work carried out at the Academy of Finland’s Centre of Excellence in Cancer Genetics Research, based at the University of Helsinki, has shown how the genome of fibroids, known as benign uterine leiomyomata, differs from normal uterine tissue.
Professor Lauri Aaltonen, who heads the centre, said very little was known about the mechanisms behind the development of the problem but the work carried out by the researchers has identified a gene defect that explains how more than half the tumours developed.
Its latest whole-genome sequencing demonstrated that most of the other tumours develop as a result of chromosome fragmentation and rearrangements.
Such changes resulting from chromosomal rearrangements are normally identified in malignant tumours but these results suggest that the same mechanisms may also cause non-cancerous tumours.
“These new findings are essential for the further development of pharmacological treatments for this type of tumour,” says Prof Aaltonen, whose work is published in the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
“Our research also indicates what mechanisms may prevent benign tumours from becoming malignant,” Aaltonen adds.
Aaltonen L et al. Characterization of Uterine Leiomyomas by Whole-Genome Sequencing. New England Journal of Medicine. 5 June 2013. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1302736
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