Do women offered assisted reproduction technologies have a higher incidence of gynecologic cancer? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

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.

Risks of ovarian, breast, and corpus uteri cancer in women treated with assisted reproductive technology in Great Britain, 1991-2010: data linkage study including 2.2 million person years of observation

“…Systematic reviews have included at most 70 753 treated women for analyses of breast cancer risk, 10 79 143 for ovarian cancer risk, 16 and 118 320 for analysis of all gynaecological cancer risk. 37 Our study comprised over 250 000 treated women, including almost 65 000 person years of follow-up for at least 15 years beyond last treatment with an average follow-up of 8.8 years and a maximum follow-up of 19 years (table S2, supplementary appendix). However, we cannot exclude the possibility of different risk profiles for any studied cancer on longer follow-up, at ages when most reproductive related cancers occur.…”

Risks of Ovarian, Breast, and Corpus Uteri Cancer in Women Treated With Assisted Reproductive Technology in Great Britain, 1991–2010: Data Linkage Study Including 2.2 Million Person Years of Observation

“…Systematic reviews have included at most 70 753 treated women for analyses of breast cancer risk, 10 79 143 for ovarian cancer risk, 16 and 118 320 for analysis of all gynaecological cancer risk. 37 Our study comprised over 250 000 treated women, including almost 65 000 person years of follow-up for at least 15 years beyond last treatment with an average follow-up of 8.8 years and a maximum follow-up of 19 years (table S2, supplementary appendix). However, we cannot exclude the possibility of different risk profiles for any studied cancer on longer follow-up, at ages when most reproductive related cancers occur.…”