ABSTRACT
Fifty patients were included in this work, they all were premenopausal women who underwent hysterectomy at Ain Shams University Maternity Hospital. They were divided into two main groups Group [1] [The study group] : 30 patients who underwent hysterectomy for symptomatic uterine fibroids; Group [2] [The control group] : 20 patients who underwent hysterectomy for other gynecological problems than myoma. After pathological examination, tissue samples of myomas and myometria were collected for immunohisto-chemical study for epidermal growth factor receptors assay. As regards the relation between age of women distributed according to their groups and the EGF receptors expression; it was found that there was no relation between age of women and the expression of EGF receptors. Also for the relation between parity and the expression of EGF receptors; it was found that there was a relation between parity of women in the study group [with leiomyoma] and the expression of EGF receptors [P < 0.01] i.e. highly significant difference, and this may be attributed to the elevated estrogen regulated genes in leiomyomas when the uterus is exposed to circulating levels of estrogen that are many-fold higher through subsequent pregnancies than those seen during menstrual cycle As regards the relation between the receptor level and the phase of menstrual cycle; it was found that there was no cyclic variation of EGF receptors either in the proliferative phase or in the secretory phase and hence estrogen and progesterone play an important equal role in the expression of EGF receptors whether in myometrium or in the growth of leiomyomas. As regards the relation between the receptors level with different pathological subtypes of leiomyomas; it was found that there was no significant difference between these types and the expression of EGF receptors. Concerning the relation between EGF receptors expression in leiomyomas compared to normal myometrium; it was found that although both leiomyomas and myometria showed expression for EGF receptors and may be the expression was slightly elevated in leiomyoma, but we could not find any significant difference [P > 0.05] between EGF receptors expression in leiomyoma compared to myometrium. These findings suggest EGF receptors as a potential regulator for uterine leiomyoma and also suggest that estrogen and progesterone effects on leiomyomas may be partly mediated by EGF receptors