Racial diversity in uterine leiomyoma clinical studies

Objective: To examine racial diversity in clinical studies on uterine leiomyomas included in a review of evidence-based practice because of the disproportionate burden of fibroids in Black women. Design: Review of 106 studies cited in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) report on uterine leiomyomas. Setting: Academic medical centers. Patient(s): None. Intervention(s): Estimation of the racial diversity of enrollment in studies on leiomyomas that did not report racial composition by two hypothetical models. Main Outcome Measure(s): Representation of Black women in studies from the AHRQ report. Result(s): Of the 106 analyzed studies, 81 studies did not report patients' race or ethnicity. Twenty-two of the 25 studies with reported race or ethnicity included Black participants. Analysis of studies reporting race and ethnicity, including studies specifically of African-American women, suggests that Black women comprise approximately half of all study participants. However, when estimating the proportion of Black women based on population demographics in each country, the representation of Black women in clinical leiomyoma studies appears to be closer to 15%. Conclusion(s): Most studies on uterine leiomyomas cited in the AHRQ evidence-based report did not report participation by race or ethnicity. (Fertil Steril (R) 2010;94:1500-3. (C) 2010 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)