Does Big Mean Evil? Giant, but Benign Uterine Leiomyoma: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Uterine leiomyoma is the most prevalent benign type of gynecological tumor. It affects more than 80% of women worldwide and, within this group, more than 50% may be asymptomatic. However, large fibroid volumes may be associated with symptoms of extrinsic compression, and most of the cases do not present atypical cells. We present the case of a 49-year-old woman who underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy of a 13.5-kg uterine leiomyoma with no malignancies at histopathology and review the literature about giant uterine leiomyomas and their clinical repercussion. We concluded that large volumes do not always pose a threat regarding malignancy; however, future molecular studies are needed to investigate giant uterine fibroids.

Leiomioma uterino é o tumor benigno ginecológico de maior prevalência. Ele afeta mais de 80% das mulheres no mundo e, deste grupo, mais de 50% podem ser assintomáticas. Contudo, miomas de grande volume podem ser associados com sintomas de compressão extrínseca, e a maioria dos casos não apresentam células atípicas. Nós apresentamos o caso de uma mulher de 49 anos que foi submetida a histerectomia total abdominal de um espécime de 13,5 quilos sem malignidades ao exame histopatológico. Também revisamos a literatura sobre leiomiomas uterinos de grande volume e sua repercussão clínica. Concluímos que grandes volumes nem sempre representam um risco relacionado à malignidade; contudo, estudos moleculares futuros são necessários para investigar leiomiomas uterinos gigantes.

Growth charts for Brazilian children with Down syndrome: Birth to 20 years of age.

BACKGROUND: The growth of youth with Down syndrome (DS) differs from that of youth without DS, and growth charts specific to DS have been developed. However, little is known about the growth of Brazilian youth with DS. The objective of this study was to construct growth charts for Brazilian youth with DS and compare the growth data with the Child Growth Standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) and charts for children with DS from other studies. METHODS: Mixed longitudinal and cross-sectional data were collected at University of Campinas, 48 specialized centers for people with intellectual disabilities, and two foundations for people with DS between 2012 and 2015. A total of 10,516 growth measurements from birth to 20 years of age were available from 938 youth with DS (53.7% boys) born between 1980 and 2013. The Lambda Mu Sigma method was applied to construct the curves using generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape. RESULTS: Length/height-for-age, weight-for-age, and head circumference-for-age percentile curves were generated for Brazilian boys and girls from birth to 20 years of age. Differences in growth of Brazilian youth ranged from -0.8 to -3.2 z-scores compared to WHO standards, and -1.9 to +1.3 compared to children with DS in other studies. CONCLUSIONS: These specific growth charts may guide clinicians and families in monitoring the growth of Brazilian children and adolescents with DS.