The last two decades have seen an increase in the number of women diagnosed with
infertility. The consequent growth in the use of assisted reproductive
technologies (ART) calls for the determination of its long-term effects,
including the risk of cancer. Many studies have attempted to answer this
question, albeit with contradictory results. This review aimed to assess whether
assisted reproductive technologies are associated with an increased risk of
gynecological cancer. A search for papers in the literature was carried out on
MEDLINE, TRIP DATABASE and NICE, resulting in 11 studies enrolling 3,900,231
patients altogether. Of these, 118,320 were offered ART. The incidence of
gynecological cancer in the group offered ART was 0.6%, while the incidence in
the group not offered ART was 2.1%. Taking all the studies into consideration,
women offered ART were not at greater risk of having gynecological cancer;
instead, a protective association was found.
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