The largest cancer study in children after IVF

Over the last three decades, in vitro fertilization (IVF) has shifted from an experimental procedure to a more common practice. Pregnancies made possible by IVF are often more difficult, with children born earlier and smaller, even among single births.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota conducted the largest cancer study in children after IVF design so far. This population-based cohort study counted nearly 2.5 times the number of children conceived by FIV compared to previous studies on the subject in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. The results were recently published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Researchers first linked live birth registrations reported between 2004 and 2013 to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology's Clinic Results Reporting System to birth and cancer registries in 14 states, including 66% of births. in the United States and 75% of IVF births. These records were then linked to cancer registries in the same states to find cancers diagnosed between 2013 and 2015. The researchers then randomly selected 10 naturally designed children for each child conceived through IVF. The final data set included 275,686 IVF children and 2,266,847 naturally conceived children.

The study revealed:

• the overall cancer rate (per 1,000,000 children) of IVF children was about 17% higher than that of non-IVF children;
• the rate of liver tumors was 2.5 times higher in IVF children than in non-IVF children;
• the rates of other specific cancers did not differ between the two groups;
• there was no badociation of cancer in the child with specific IVF treatment techniques

"The most important finding of our research is that most childhood cancers are not more common in children conceived by IVF," said Logan Spector, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine and a member of the Masonic Cancer Center. "The risk of a clbad of cancers in children can be increased.However, because of the nature of our study, we could not distinguish between IVF and the underlying infertility of parents These results are generally rebaduring for parents with children by IVF. "

Provided by
University of Minnesota