Non-surgical treatment of uterine fibroids

  Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumors of the female genitalia, with an incidence of about 20-25% in the population. Most of them occur in women between 30 and 50 years of age, especially in women who are infertile.  Uterine fibroids are solid tumors that can grow singly or in several pieces in any part of the uterus. When the fibroid grows in the uterine wall and is surrounded by the muscle layer, it is called intermyometrial fibroid, which is the most common and accounts for about 60%-70% of the total number. If the fibroids grow toward the surface of the uterus and most of them protrude from the surface of the uterus, and the surface of the fibroids is only covered by a layer of plasma membrane, they are subplasma fibroids, accounting for about 20%-30%. If the fibroid grows in the direction of uterine cavity and the surface is only covered by a layer of uterine mucosa, it is called submucosal fibroid, accounting for about 10%. Uterine fibroids are benign tumors, and the chance of malignant transformation is not high, about 4 per 1000. However, when fibroids grow and enlarge, they often bring about symptoms that cause discomfort and inconvenience and require treatment.  Uterine bleeding is the most common symptom of uterine fibroids. About l/3 of patients may have increased menstrual flow, shortened or prolonged periods, or irregular bleeding. Long-term increased menstruation can cause secondary anemia, and over time, weakness, fatigue, and lack of energy, not knowing that chronic anemia can also cause heart disease. Abdominal distension, abdominal mass and compression symptoms are also common symptoms of fibroids: compression of bladder, frequent urination, difficulty in urination or urinary retention; squeezing rectum, causing difficulty in stool; tumor in broad ligament can compress ureter and internal and external skeletal veins and nerves, resulting in swelling of lower limbs and neuropathic pain. Pain is not a common symptom of leiomyosarcoma in general, but about 1/4 of them have this symptom, mostly seen in some special sites of leiomyosarcoma or leiomyosarcoma with secondary lesions. In addition, infertility occurs in about 20-30% of patients with fibroids.  The treatment of fibroids is divided into two aspects: surgical treatment and non-surgical treatment. In recent years, due to the increasing awareness of organ preservation, minimally invasive and even non-invasive treatment, many people are paying more attention to non-surgical treatment, but it should be noted that each treatment method has its own indications and contraindications, and the necessary treatment should not be delayed by emphasizing organ preservation.  Non-surgical treatment can be divided into conservative treatment, drug therapy, high intensity focused ultrasound and arterial embolization. Regardless of the non-surgical treatment method, all of them are non-radical treatment and need to be followed up and observed.  Now, we would like to introduce a new treatment method in recent years – high-intensity focused ultrasound. High-intensity focused ultrasound, also known as focused ultrasound surgery, is a non-invasive treatment method. Its treatment principle is to use the feature that the ultrasound beam can pass through soft tissues and then focus on the target point to produce high temperature above 65℃ in the target area in the body instantly to kill tumor cells. In 2004, MRgFUS was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of premenopausal patients with fibroids without fertility requirements. The main exclusion factors are: metal implants, allergy to MRI contrast, extensive abdominal scarring along the treatment path, leptomeningeal fibroids, uterine fibroids <3 cm, and the presence of fertility requirements, etc. The advantage of this treatment is that the patient can return to normal work within 24 hours after treatment. Current foreign studies show that most patients experience significant symptomatic relief at 3 months after treatment, and at 6 months the average reduction in fibroid size is 20%, with a tendency for continued reduction over time. The main complication is skin or subcutaneous tissue burns, but with the introduction of real-time temperature monitoring technology, this complication is rare. The treatment is currently costly and not yet widely available in China.  It is true that the expansion of various non-surgical treatments and their applications have led to more treatment options and prospects for this common gynecologic disorder, but no single treatment can completely replace the traditional surgical approach, and their relationship is complementary and requires proper decision making for the indications.