Evaluation of Serum Levels of sFlt-1 and TNF-α in Patients with Endometriosis

Objective To evaluate serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase (sFlt-1) in patients with endometriosis.Methods During surgery for pelvic pain,pelvic mass or infertility,serum were collected.Of 70 patients,46 had histology-proven endometriosis and 24 patients without endometriosis participated as controls.Results Serum TNF-α levels were significantly increased in the endometriosis group(P = 0.001).Serum sFlt-1 levels were significantly higher in patients with minimal-to-mild disease(P=0.014),where serum TNF-α levels were increased in moderate-to-severe endometriosis(P0.001).Conclusion Increased sFlt-1 levels in serum indicate that sFlt-1 may play an important role in inhibiting angiogenic process of the disease.