Researchers from Thomas Jefferson University have developed a
new genetic test that uses reverse transcriptase-polymerase
chain reaction (RT-PCR) to identify uterine tumors as malignant
or benign. The test, which is more definitive than the routine
tests currently in use, looks for the presence or absence of the
gamma-smooth muscle isoactin gene. This gene, whose absence
correlates with malignancy, represents a unique molecular marker
of uterine cancer. These findings appear in the July issue of
Cancer. The study, led by Kirk McHugh, PhD, Associate Professor
of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology at Jefferson Medical
College, and the person who first identified the gamma-smooth
muscle isoactin gene, lends new hope to women with uterine
fibroid tumors whose diagnosis is inconclusive. "Uterine
fibroids account for one-third of gynecologic hospital
admissions," explained Dr. McHugh. "Most are diagnosed as benign
leiomyomas, but 4 to 5 percent are malignant leiomyosarcomas.
Some other tumors fall into a so-called