Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Serum Levels in Women with Advanced Endometriosis

CONTEXT: Endometriosis is a common gynecological disease, characterized by ectopic deposits of endometrial tissue outside of the uterine cavity, and it is associated with pelvic pain and infertility, with an important impact on the quality of life. At this point there is a controversy regarding the etiology and pathophysiology of endometriosis and it seems that pro-angiogenic growth factors might be involved, but their role is not completely understood. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the serum concentration of the main growth factors in patients with diagnosed endometriosis compared to healthy controls. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 157 women were divided into two study groups (Group I – endometriosis; Group 2 – healthy women). Serum levels of VEGF, G-CSF, GM-CSF, b-FGF, EGF, and HGF were measured with Human Multiplex Cytokine Panels. RESULTS: VEGF serum levels were significantly lower in women with endometriosis compared to controls (1.924±0.145 compared to 1.806±0.078 pg/mL, p