Fibroid Growth Study

在纤维瘤生长研究（FGS）中，我们收集了各种数据，如随时间推移（最多4个时间点）纤维瘤体积的MRI测量，选择手术的女性肿瘤的基因表达微阵列数据等。 作为我们最近出版物（Peddada等人，PNAS，2008），在该项目中，我们使用在入组、3、6和12个月时测量的101个肌瘤样本评估了肌瘤的短期生长突增和生长率变化。如果（i）在特定时间间隔内，肌瘤的体积以至少30%/3个月的速率增加，并且（ii）该速率与其他两个间隔中的每一个中的生长速率之间的差异至少为30%，则认为肌瘤在该特定时间间隔内经历生长突增。 例如，假设一个纤维瘤在三个时间间隔内以45%、25%和7%（每3个月）的速率生长。那么这个纤维瘤满足（i）但不满足（ii），因此根据我们的定义，它没有经历生长突增。 然而，生长率为1%、35%、2%的肌瘤在第二时间间隔经历生长突增。在101个肌瘤中的37个中观察到生长突增，其患病率比归因于潜在测量误差的患病率高近10倍。 通过计算三个特定间隔生长速率的方差，获得每个肌瘤生长速率短期变化的总体测量。有趣的是，同一名女性体内的肌瘤在短期内的生长速度变化显着。 无论是女性特有的因素，如年龄，种族/民族，产次，体重，也不是子宫肌瘤的位置解释了同一个女人的肌瘤之间的差异。然而，大肌瘤（直径>5 cm）的相对生长速率短期变化小于较小肌瘤。这些发现可能具有临床意义。

In the Fibroid Growth Study(FGS) we collected a variety of data, such as MRI measurements of fibroid volumes over time (up to 4 time points), gene expression microarray data obtained on tumors from women who opted for surgery, etc. We are presently analyzing data obtained from that study. As a follow-up to our recent publication (Peddada et al., PNAS, 2008), in this project we evaluated the short term growth spurts and changes in growth rates of fibroids using a sample of 101 fibroids that were measured at enrollment, 3, 6, and 12 months. A fibroid is said to experience a growth spurt in a particular time interval if (i) its volume increased at a rate of at least 30% per 3 months during that interval and (ii) the difference between that rate and the growth rate in each of the other two intervals is at least 30%. For example, suppose a fibroid grew at the rates of 45%, 25% and 7% (per 3 months) in the three time intervals. Then this fibroid satisfies (i) but not (ii) and hence according to our definition it did not experience a growth spurt. However, a fibroid with growth rates 1%, 35%, 2% experienced a growth spurt in the second time interval. Growth spurts were observed in 37 of the 101 fibroids, a prevalence nearly tenfold higher than that attributable to potential measurement error. An overall measure of short-term change in growth rate for each fibroid was obtained by calculating the variance of the three interval-specific growth rates. Interestingly, fibroids within the same woman varied significantly in their short-term change in growth rate. Neither the woman-specific factors, such as, age, race/ethnicity, parity, body mass, nor the fibroid position in the uterus explained the differences among fibroids within the same woman. However, large fibroids (>5 cm diameter) had a smaller short-term change in relative growth rate than smaller fibroids. These findings may be clinically relevant.