Clinical utility of ulipristal acetate for the treatment of uterine fibroids: current evidence

Uterine myoma is the most common benign uterine tumor in women of reproductive age and occurs in 20%-25% of the worldwide population. No currently approved medical treatment is able to completely eliminate fibroids. Surgery, particularly hysterectomy, predominates as the treatment strategy of choice, even though it is associated with risks and complications and causes infertility. Until recently, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists were the only available drugs for the preoperative treatment of fibroids. However, ulipristal acetate (UPA), an oral selective progesterone receptor modulator, was recently licensed in Europe for the same indication. Recent studies have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of UPA in the medical management of fibroids before surgery, with a better tolerability profile than leuprolide acetate. Analyzing the literature, we identified new management strategies involving UPA and surgery, considering advantages of both medical and surgical therapy. The advent of UPA will undoubtedly modify the surgical approach to fibroids, but the heterogeneity of these possible indications now requires various original clinical studies to identify the optimal indications for UPA in patients with symptomatic fibroid(s).