Cancer Risk After Exposure to Treatments for Ovulation Induction
American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access
Nov 26/08. http://aje.oxfordjournals.org
Approximately 10% of couples in developed countries seek health care for infertility. The use of fertility treatment has grown substantially in recent decades. Approximately 1% of US infants born in 2004 were conceived through ART.
Ovulation-inducing drugs are widely used for ovarian follicle stimulation, either as independent therapies or during iIVF cycles. Clomiphene citrate, in use since the 1960s, is still considered the best initial treatment for the majority of women with anovulatory infertility, and has also been widely
used among couples with unexplained infertility. Despite this long-term use,the scientific literature provides inconsistent information on the association between ovulation induction treatment and cancer incidence.
The authors of this study conducted a long-term population-based historical cohort study of 15,030 women who gave birth in 1974-1976. Cancer incidence through 2004 was analyzed, controlling for age and other covariates.
An increased risk of the some cancers was found among women who had been treated with ovulation-inducing agents, specifically clomiphene: uterine & breast cancer, malignant melanoma & non-Hodgkin lymphoma. These associations appeared stronger among women who waited more than 1 year to conceive. No association was noted for ovarian cancer.
Conclusion: Additional follow-up studies assessing these associations by drug type, dosage, and duration are needed.
i was o clomid for infertility then i was diagnosed with non hodgkins lymphoma
Posted by: aileen | December 18, 2008 at 07:15 AM