Transvaginal ultrasound reliably rules out endometrial cancer in Black women despite fibroids

A cohort study found that Black women had lower ultrasound completion rates for suspected endometrial cancer, primarily due to fibroids obscuring the endometrial lining. Despite this, transvaginal sonography achieved a 76% completion rate and remained highly effective at ruling out cancer in Black women. The research, published in JAMA Network Open, analyzed a diverse patient population and identified fibroids as the main barrier to successful imaging in Black participants. The study's findings indicate that when the ultrasound was completed, its diagnostic accuracy for excluding malignancy was not compromised by the presence of fibroids. The study was led by Dr. Ohad Rotenberg of Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. The results suggest that while fibroids can hinder the procedure, transvaginal ultrasound remains a reliable initial screening tool for endometrial cancer across racial groups.