Vascular endothelial growth factor +405 G/C polymorphism and endometriosis risk: a comprehensive meta-analysis

Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disorder in which endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus. It involves angiogenesis and is influenced significantly by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which regulates blood vessel growth and permeability. We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to better understand the influence of the VEGF +405G/C polymorphism on the vulnerability to endometriosis. After applying the inclusion criteria, 14 case-control studies, from 2005 to 2024, were analyzed, with a combined sample size of 3417 endometriosis cases and 3531 controls without endometriosis. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software, and P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. The results showed a significant correlation between the VEGF +405 G/C polymorphism and an increased incidence of endometriosis in the recessive (odds ratio [OR]: 0.803, confidence interval [CI]: 0.70–0.92; P = 0.0015) and homozygous (OR: 0.7859, CI: 0.68–0.90; P = 0.00114) models. However, no significant association was found in the dominant (OR: 1.094, CI: 0.99–1.20; P = 0.064), heterozygous (OR: 0.9946, CI: 0.8979–1.1017; P = 0.412), or allelic (OR: 1.0552, CI: 0.98–1.13; P = 0.124) models. The meta-analysis findings suggested an association between endometriosis risk and the VEGF +405 G/C polymorphism, which was particularly evident in the recessive and homozygous models.