Infertile women can be reassured that taking ovulation-stimulating drugs does not appear to put them at greater risk for developing ovarian cancer later in life. A retrospective cohort study of 12,193 women evaluated for infertility, reported in the June issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, did not find a strong link between use of fertility drugs and an increased risk for ovarian cancer.
Infertility patients have a significantly higher risk of ovarian cancer compared to the general public. These higher risks are believed to be due to these women giving birth less often, because maternity is a recognized protective factor for ovarian cancer. As the use of infertility drugs has risen, several studies have suggested that ovulation-stimulating drugs may further increase risk. This theory is biologically plausible given that ovarian cancer has been linked in other studies to various factors associated with incessant ovulation.E
The study team at NCIs DCEG evaluated effects of the two drugs used most often to treat infertilityclomiphene citrate and gonadotropinsE
and the underlying conditions leading to treatment, such as anovulation, that need to be taken into account in evaluating drug effects.
In comparison with other infertile patients, there was no evidence that use of either clomiphene or gonadotrophins had an adverse effect on ovarian cancer,Ereported lead investigator Dr. Louise Brinton of DCEG. Her group noted that there were slightly higher, but not statistically significant, risks for the small group of women followed for 15 years or more, supporting the need for continued monitoring of possible long-term risks from use of infertility drugs.
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SOURCE: National Cancer Institute
Posted Date: July 22, 2004
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