In a nutshell
This study investigated if assisted reproduction (AR) is associated with a risk of pediatric cancer. They found that AR is not linked to pediatric cancer.
Some background
Assisted reproduction (AR) is a fast-growing industry. As infertility rates are increasing, more children are conceived using AR technologies (ARTs). Some studies suggest there is a higher cancer rate in children conceived from ART. Other studies show ART is associated with lower cancer rates.
ART involves the stimulation of hormones in an artificial way. Some researchers think this could cause changes in genes. This could be an underlying cause of cancer. It is unclear if ART is associated with an increased risk of pediatric cancer.
Methods & findings
This study included 2 analyses. The first analysis included the medical records of children conceived from AR (64,317). These were compared to the medical records of children conceived naturally (713, 165) in the same period. The second analysis involved reviewing 13 published studies evaluating the risk of pediatric cancer after AR.
There was no difference in pediatric cancer risk between AR and naturally conceived children. In the second analysis, the authors also did not find a connection between AR and an increased risk of pediatric cancer.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that there is no link between AR and pediatric cancer.
The fine print
Information on maternal age was not available in the first analysis. Maternal age may be a predictor of PC risk after AR. More studies are needed.
Published By :
Cancer Epidemiology
Date :
Oct 10, 2019
