Association of race, age and body mass index with gross pathology of uterine fibroids.

Objective: To determine the associations of race, age and body mass index (BMI) with the gross pathology parameters of uterine leiomyomas in premenopausal women undergoing hysterectomy or myomectomy.

Study Design: Participants (N = 107) were recruited from surgical rosters of the George Washington University (GWU) Medical Center Gynecology Department as part of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Fibroid Study. Tumor data and patient demographics were obtained from clinical reports, pathology forms and interviews.

Results: Surgical cases consisted of 78% African Americans, 13% Caucasians and 9% others (non-African American, non-Caucasian or race unknown). This proportion of African Americans was significantly higher than the distribution of GWU health plan participants. Fibroids were localized predominantly within the intramural region. Subserosal tumors were more common in patients with more than 9 tumors. African Americans had the highest mean BMI and mean myomatous uterine weight.

Conclusion: African Americans were the disproportionate majority coming to surgery for fibroids. The average BMI and uterine weight were greater in African Americans than in Caucasians, although these differences were marginal. Race did not influence the size, location or number of fibroids in these surgical cases. Subserosal tumors were more common in patients with more than 9 tumors.