BACKGROUND: Many epidemiological studies have suggested an association between @entity172 receptor-beta ( @entity1783 ) polymorphisms with endometriosis risk. However, the results of these studies have been inconsistent. In the present study, we performed a meta-analysis to clarify the associations between the @entity1783 @entity15762 and @entity16935 polymorphisms and endometriosis risk. METHODS: Eligible publications were retrieved from the PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and several Chinese language databases. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random or fixed effect model. RESULTS: A total of eight studies (1100 cases/1485 controls) for the @entity15762 polymorphism and four studies (353 cases/450 controls) for the @entity16935 polymorphism were included in this meta-analysis. Regarding the @entity15762 polymorphism, no obvious associations were found for all genetic models when all studies were pooled into the meta-analysis. In the subgroup analyses by ethnicity, study sample size, endometriosis-associated infertility, and stage of endometriosis, a significantly increased risk was observed among mixed populations (dominant model, OR   =   2.03, 95% CI   =   1.56-2.64) and among cases with endometriosis-associated infertility (dominant model, OR   =   1.83, 95% CI   =   1.26-2.67). Regarding the @entity16935 polymorphism, no obvious associations were found for all genetic models in the overall population. Subgroup analyses by ethnicity and study sample size revealed that only one study of a mixed population with small sample size showed an increased risk of endometriosis. No publication bias was found in the present study. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this meta-analysis suggest that the @entity1783 @entity15762 and @entity16935 polymorphisms may not be associated with endometriosis risk, while the observed increased risk of endometriosis-associated infertility may be due to bias by the inclusion of small-scale studies. VIRTUAL SLIDES: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/13000_2014_184.

Associations between XXXX receptor-beta polymorphisms and endometriosis risk: a meta-analysis.

@entity172 :: ('MESH:D004967', 'Chemical') :: ['estrogen'] @entity15762 :: ('rs4986938', 'SNP') :: ['rs4986938'] @entity1783 :: ('2100', 'Gene') :: ['ER-b'] @entity16935 :: ('rs1256049', 'SNP') :: ['rs1256049']
@entity172 :: (MESH:D004967,Chemical) :: ['estrogen']
