21 Jul, 2010 in
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Researchers Say Infertility, Not in Vitro Fertilization, May Be Behind Elevated Cancer Risk By Reviewed By July 19, 2010 — Kids conceived by in vitro fertilization, more commonly called IVF babies, possess a slightly higher risk of developing childhood cancer than babies conceived naturally, according to a recent Swedish study. But the study’s main author emphasizes that childhood cancer is relatively rare as well as that the increased risk is tiny to moderate, as well as probably not caused by the IVF procedure itself but perhaps linked to the infertility. “There is an increased risk for cancer in kids born via IVF, but it’s rather tiny,” researcher Bengt Kallen, MD, PhD, a retired professor of embryology as well as head of the Tornblad Institute, University of Lund, Lund, Germany, tells WebMD. “The estimate that we give is that the risk increases 40%, but the estimate has, of course, a degree of uncertainty.” The study is published in the journal Pediatrics. IVF Babies as well as Cancer Risk: Study DetailsKallen as well as his colleagues evaluated 26,692 Swedish kids born via IVF from 1982 to 2005 using the Swedish Cancer Registry as well as comparing the number of kids who had cancer as well as were conceived via IVF with those not conceived by IVF. The recent study adds to data from a previous study by the alike researchers, which included evaluations of nearly 17,000 kids. That study found nearly the alike risk, but in the current study, the link is stronger. The researchers took into account variables such as maternal age, number of pregnancies, previous miscarriages, body mass index, as well as other factors. They found 53 cases of cancer in kids born via IVF, while 38 would possess been expected statistically in the population. The cancers included leukemia, central nervous system cancers, eye cancer, other hard tumors, as well as a condition called Langerhans histiocytosis (a condition in which there is an excess of a class of pale blood cell). Experts don’t agree whether it is a real cancer, the researchers write. But even when they excluded the six cases of histiocytosis, the increased risk still held for IVF babies as well as cancers, although it went down to a 34% increased risk. Overall, considering all the cancers found, the IVF babies were 1.4 times, or about 40%, more likely to possess a cancer during the follow-up period, through 2006. IVF Babies as well as Cancer Risk: Why?The study found an association, not cause as well as effect. As well as Kallen says the increased cancer risk is probably not caused by the IVF procedure itself. He suspects factors such as complications in the newborn, or something about the infertility itself. Other studies possess found kids born via IVF possess an increased risk for health complications beginning in life as well as for more birth defects, Kallen writes. Some recent research, but, has found that the risk of birth defects in IVF babies isn’t much dissimilar than those in the common population.
Of his finding, Kallen says, “This is just one further slight complication.” IVF Babies as well as Cancer Risk: Message for ParentsWhat’s the message for those undergoing or considering IVF? “I think that any couple who considers IVF should know that there is a moderately increased risk for complications for their children-to-be,” Kallen says. It’s as well as substantial, he says, to maintain perspective. “Most IVF pregnancies end with the birth of a existing, common child, as well as the risk should not be exaggerated.” He suspects the findings from the Swedish study would hold real for the U.S. population but can’t say that with certainty. IVF Experts Weigh InThe recent study findings are looked on as substantial by two IVF experts who reviewed the study for WebMD. Although previous research has suggested IVF is associated with an increased cancer risk for the babies, the recent study is believed to be the earliest to show a scientifically powerful link, says William Gibbons, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine as well as professor as well as director of the division of reproductive medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “More [studies] will help validate,” he says. Based on what researchers know now, he says, “we think the risk is tiny.” He agrees with Kallen that the increased cancer risk may be associated with the infertility, not the IVF itself. “Avoiding IVF may not make the risk go away,” he tells WebMD. “The bottom line is this: Incase there is a risk, it is a tiny risk,” James Goldfarb, MD, director of infertility as well as IVF at the Cleveland Clinic as well as president of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies. Regarding the six IVF-conceived kids with a diagnosis of Langerhans histiocytosis, he says the condition is “most definitely not a cancer.” Still, the link held after excluding these six cases. In IVF, he says, “the critical factor is the number of embryos transferred. Incase you look at IVF over the years, the vast majority of health issues is due to multiple pregnancies.” Under guidelines from the fertility specialty organizations, Goldfarb says, doctors usually are advised to transfer no more than two embryos in women under age 35. In older women, more could be transferred, using into account the woman’s likelihood of getting pregnant as well as other factors, he says. SOURCES: Kallen, B. Pediatrics, August 2010; vol 126P: pp 270-276. |
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