A myoma is a type of

tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

that involves

muscle cell A muscle cell is also known as a myocyte when referring to either a cardiac muscle cell (cardiomyocyte), or a smooth muscle cell as these are both small cells. A skeletal muscle cell is long and threadlike with many nuclei and is called a muscl ...

s. There are two main types of myoma: *

Leiomyoma A leiomyoma, also known as a fibroid, is a benign smooth muscle tumor that very rarely becomes cancer (0.1%). They can occur in any organ, but the most common forms occur in the uterus, small bowel, and the esophagus. Polycythemia may occur due to ...

s which occur in

smooth muscle Smooth muscle is an involuntary non-striated muscle, so-called because it has no sarcomeres and therefore no striations (''bands'' or ''stripes''). It is divided into two subgroups, single-unit and multiunit smooth muscle. Within single-unit mus ...

. They most commonly occur as

uterine fibroid Uterine fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyomas or fibroids, are benign smooth muscle tumors of the uterus. Most women with fibroids have no symptoms while others may have painful or heavy periods. If large enough, they may push on the bl ...

s, but may also form in other locations. *

Rhabdomyoma A rhabdomyoma is a benign tumor of striated muscle. Rhabdomyomas may be either "cardiac" or "extra cardiac" (occurring outside the heart). Extracardiac forms of rhabdomyoma are sub classified into three distinct types: adult type, fetal type, and g ...

s which occur in

striated muscle Striations means a series of ridges, furrows or linear marks, and is used in several ways: * Glacial striation * Striation (fatigue), in material * Striation (geology), a ''striation'' as a result of a geological fault * Striation Valley, in Ant ...

. They are rare tumors, occur in childhood and often become malignant. Whether or not angiomyomas are a type of leiomyoma or a separate entity is disputed as of 2014. Myomas are benign tumors of the uterus that can affect the fertility of a woman depending mainly on three factors: # Size (cut off value 4-5 cm) # Number # Location (they can be intramural, subserous or submucous). Submucous ones are worst from a fertility point of view, while subserous are less dangerous. Some of the most common symptoms are: abundant menstrual bleeding, longer menstrual periods, pelvic pressure, constipation, a need to urinate continuously.

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Types of neoplasia {{oncology-stub