Immunohistologic detection of estrogen and progesterone receptors in disseminated peritoneal leiomyomatosis.

Disseminated peritoneal leiomyomatosis (DPL) is a rare clinicopathologic entity typically observed in women during pregnancy or immediately postpartum. Immunohistologic examinations of frozen as well as paraffin sections in three cases of DPL confirmed the myocytic character of the lesion and substantiated the hormonal influence on growth and regression of DPL nodules by detection of estrogen and progesterone receptors in the tumor cells. Implications of functional aspects as well as the benign clinical and morphologic feature of DPL are discussed in order to avoid inappropriate therapeutic measures.