Urine vascular endothelial growth factor-A is not a useful marker for endometriosis

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether urine VEGF is elevated in women with endometriosis. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Tertiary care government and private hospitals. PATIENT(S): During laparoscopy for pelvic pain or infertility, urine was collected and possible endometriosis lesions were excised. Of 62 women, 40 had histology-proven endometriosis and 22 had no histological proof of the disease. INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Urine VEGF-A(121, 165) was measured and compared in women with and without biopsy-proven endometriosis. RESULT(S): Urine VEGF levels corrected for creatinine excretion were similar in women with (83.6 +/- 11.3 pg/mg Cr) and without (88.5 +/- 10.4 pg/mg Cr) endometriosis (P =.77). The frequency distribution of urine VEGF measurements for women with and without endometriosis was similar. No significant difference was noted in urine VEGF levels when comparing endometriosis stages or in those with endometriomas compared to controls. Urine VEGF did not vary significantly over the menstrual cycle or between groups by cycle phase. No cutoff point discriminated individuals with and without the condition. CONCLUSION(S): It is unlikely that urine VEGF-A(121, 165), as measured in this study, will be a useful non-invasive marker for endometriosis.