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Glite Dictionary
leiomyoma

leiomyoma

1 9.9
A noncancerous growth made of muscle, often in the womb or intestines
  • noun
  • /ˌleɪoʊmaɪˈoʊmə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : leiomioma
  • She learned that her abdominal pain was due to the presence of a leiomyoma in her digestive tract.

Examples

  • A leiomyoma is a benign tumor that often develops in the uterus, causing discomfort for the patient.

  • Myofibromatosis must be differentiated from neurofibromatosis, fibrosarcoma, hemangiopericytoma, and leiomyoma/leiomyosarcoma.

    Academic text (2007)

  • These tumors include malignant melanomas, leiomyomas, leiomyosarcomas, hemangiopericytomas, etc.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The uterus perforated or prolapsed, overrun with endometrium, laden with leiomyomas, vacuumed clean, hysterectomized.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Doctors frequently diagnose leiomyomas in women who experience heavy menstrual bleeding.

Synonyms

fibroid
vsleiomyoma
  • Specialized
10 7.3

A growth in the muscle of the womb that is not cancer and can cause pain or heavy bleeding

is more likely to include fibrous tissue rather than only smooth muscle
myoma
vsleiomyoma
  • Specialized
1 9.1

A noncancerous lump of muscle that often grows in the womb

is limited to tumors of smooth muscle cells rather than any muscle type

Surface Forms

leiomyoma singular
leiomyomas plural

Morphology

leiomyoma = myoma (opaque) = leio + myo + oma

Adding the combining form 'leio-' to the medical base 'myoma' creates a technical term meaning 'smooth-muscle tumor'—the Greek combining forms and clinical suffix are not transparent to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Leiomyoma comes from the Greek parts leio- ('smooth'), myo- ('muscle'), and -oma ('tumor'). So a leiomyoma is a noncancerous 'smooth muscle' growth — in other words a lump made of smooth muscle, which is why it often appears in the uterus or gut.