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(Reuters Health) – Assisted reproductive technologies do not present an overall increased risk of bad, ovarian or uterine cancer, according to a new British study.
Although women undergoing fertility treatments face a small increased risk of non-invasive bad cancer and ovarian tumors, it is more likely because of other predisposing factors, the authors of the 39, study wrote in the BMJ. "The hormones in the reproductive cycle contain cell growth controls, and there are many examples of situations where other hormonal therapies have resulted in unexpected increased risks of cancer," said Dr. Alastair Sutcliffe, of the University College London. Institute of the street of the health of the child.
"It is not unreasonable to consider whether exposure to reproductive hormones could, in rare cases, be badociated with a downstream effect on cancer in the longer term," Sutcliffe said. to Reuters Health by email.
Sutcliffe and his colleagues badyzed data collected on an average of nearly nine years from nearly 256,000 women who had badisted procreation between 1991 and 2010, including 3155 who later developed bad cancer. ovarian, bad or uterus.
When the researchers compared these women to a similar group of women who had not received fertility treatments, they found that there was not much difference to the risk of uterine cancer or invasive bad cancer.
Noninvasive bad cancer and ovarian tumors increased slightly in those who had fertility treatments. For bad cancer, the slight increase in risk was badociated with more cycles of treatment. For ovarian cancer, the increased risk was limited to women who had endometriosis, female infertility such as tubal disease, or ovarian disorder.
"We were a little surprised by the increased risk of ductal bad cancer, although we could explain it by increased surveillance of these intensively medicalized couples rather than a real effect," he said. Sutcliffe, all the more so than the invasive cancer rates in both groups.
One limitation of the study is that she compares women who have received fertility treatments to the overall population, rather than other women with infertility problems who have decided not to receive treatment. However, this type of study would probably not have enough participants and is often difficult to replicate, said Dr. Paul Hardiman of the Whittington Hospital in London. Hardiman, who was not involved in this study, is studying the risks of endometrial, ovarian and bad cancer in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
"People can cling to a message here about the risks of cancer, but I've read that as a positive sign," he told Reuters Health by phone. "Fertility treatments have little or no effect, and women should not be afraid."
Previous studies have shown that women who have fewer children or who have their first child more late in life are more likely to develop cancer of the reproductive organs, other medical characteristics probably explain the increase in risk rather than fertility treatments, said Hardiman.The researchers still want to know why women infertile are more likely to develop certain cancers and how other factors such as socio-economic status, badfeeding practices and the use of oral contraceptives could affect the risk of cancer. [19659002] "We need to rule out the underlying predispositions," Hardiman said. "We should also look at medications commonly administered to induce ovulation that may result in an increased risk of cancer. "
Sutcliffe and her colleagues will repeat the study in the coming years to understand how the cancer risks badociated with fertility treatments are growing as women get older.
"Women seeking fertility treatments should know the benefits and risks for themselves and their baby, even if they want a baby at all costs," Hardiman said. "Abnormally high levels of estrogen in some treatments may worry some women, but this study should rebadure them."
SOURCE: dx.doi.org/doi:10.1136/bmj.k2644 BMJ, Online July 11, 2018. [19659016] Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
