Meta-analysis of association between the TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and risk of endometriosis based on case-control studies

Objective: In the light of the relationship between the TP53 Arg72Pro (rs1042522) polymorphism and the risk of endometriosis remains inclusive or controversial. For better understanding of the effect of TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism on endometriosis risk, we performed a meta-analysis.

Methods: The relevant studies were identified through a search of PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Ovid, Springer, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), cqvip, Wanfang database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature (CBM) databases up to December, 2014. The association between the TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and endometriosis risk was pooled by conducted by odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Results: A total of fifteen case-control studies with 2683 cases and 3335 controls were eventually identified. There was significant association between Arg72Pro polymorphism and endometriosis risk in all of the five models in overall populations (C vs. G: OR=1.32, 95%CI=1.14-1.53, p=0.00; CC vs. GG: OR=1.80, 95%CI=1.28-2.53, p=0.001; GC vs. GG: OR=1.52, 95%CI=1.22-1.88, p=0.00; CC vs.

Gc/gg: OR=1.32, 95%CI=1.05-1.66, p=0.016; CC/GC vs. GG: OR=1.59, 95%CI=1.26-2.00, p=0.00). In the sub-group analysis according to ethnicity, the results suggested that TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism was not associated with endometriosis risk in Caucasians. However, the significant association was found in Asians and Mixed race (MIX) under the five models.

Conclusions: The results of this meta-analysis suggest that the TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism can increase the risk of endometriosis, especially among Asians and MIX populations. Considering the limited sample size and ethnicities included in the meta-analysis, further larger scaled and well-designed studies are needed to confirm our results.