Oestrogen receptor alpha PvuII polymorphism and uterine fibroid incidence in Caucasian women

Introduction
Uterine fibroids (UFs) are benign, monoclonal tumours of the female genital tract that originate from the myometrium. They may be diagnosed in as many as 80% of women depending on the selected population. UFs depend mostly on steroid hormones. Elevated levels of oestrogens and progesterone are believed to be among the most important factors inducing their formation and growth. These facts suggest that oestrogen (ESR) and progesterone receptors are crucial in UF pathophysiology as well. Previous studies have shown that, in some populations, polymorphisms in ESR genes (e.g. PvuII) constitute an important risk factor for UFs.

Material and methods
The aim of our study was to investigate whether ESR PvuII polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of UFs in Caucasian women of Polish origin. A total of 197 patients (114 UF-positive and 83 controls) were included in this retrospective cohort study. ESR gene polymorphism PvuII (rs2234693) was assayed with PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP).

Results
Our study found no significant difference in the occurrence of ESR PvuII polymorphism between women with UFs and UF-free controls in the selected population.

Conclusions
Our results did not indicate a significant association between ESR gene PvuII polymorphism and the risk of UFs in Caucasian women of Polish origin. More studies and comparisons between races are necessary to clarify the role of ESR in the development and progression of UFs.