Cancer after IVF

Cancer Incidence in Women After Medically Assisted Reproduction

https://tinyurl.com/y5pjhxy9

A feature of medical care in the 21st Century has been the rise of Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR). About one in six couples seek such intervention. This population study of more than 400,000 women in Australia looks at the incidence of cancer following MAR.

The data included MAR treatments, pregnancies, subsequent cancers, and deaths. All the information was obtained from the Medicare Benefits Schedule and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule during the period 1991-2018.

Results from the study showed small increases in the incidence of ovarian, uterine and breast cancer, with a slight increase in the incidence of melanoma. Some cancers were less likely after MAR, these include pancreatic, renal, lung, and myeloid leukaemia. The authors note than the increases are small with overall increase of about 16/100,000 pa. There are some limiting factors in the conclusions in that there is little data about the nature of any malignant change and that the follow-up period is short. Some of the increase in cancers may be due to pre-existing conditions such as endometriosis or PCOS.