Assisted reproductive technology and risk of malignancy among offspring: a meta-analysis.

in International journal of surgery (London, England) by Linyu Zhang, Gang Tang, Xinrui Sun, Xue Xiao, Fang Ma

TLDR

  • The study found that ART is not associated with an increased risk of overall malignancy in offspring, but may be associated with an increased risk of specific types of cancers, including leukemia, soft tissue tumors, hepatic tumors, and epithelial tumors and melanoma.
  • The findings suggest that ART may not be a major contributor to the overall risk of cancer in offspring, but may be related to a specific subset of cancers.

Abstract

With the popularization of assisted reproductive technology (ART), the question of whether ART increases the risk of malignancy in offspring has received increasing attention. Although many studies have explored the relationship between ART use and malignancy in offspring, the results remain controversial. Two authors used the Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library databases to conduct a systematic search of published studies on the effects of ART on the risk of malignancy in offspring. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were used for the analysis. Twenty cohort and four case-control studies were included in this review. ART did not increase the risk of overall malignancy in the offspring (OR, 1.04) compared with natural pregnancy (NP). However, the subgroup analysis showed that the offspring in the ART group had a higher risk of leukemia (OR, 1.24), soft tissue tumors (OR, 1.35), hepatic tumors (OR, 2.10), and epithelial tumors and melanoma (OR, 1.50). The risks of lymphoma, retinoblastoma, central nervous system tumors, neuroblastoma, renal tumors, germ cell and gonad tumors, and embryonic tumors did not differ between the ART and NP groups. Subgroup analysis based on ART type showed that in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, frozen embryo transfer, and intrauterine insemination or ovulation did not increase the risk of overall malignancy compared to the NP group. ART may not be associated with the risk of overall malignancy in offspring. However, we found that ART may be associated with an increased risk of leukemia, soft tissue tumors, hepatic tumors, epithelial tumors, and melanoma.

Overview

  • The study aimed to investigate the relationship between assisted reproductive technology (ART) and the risk of malignancy in offspring.
  • The study included 20 cohort and 4 case-control studies, and odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were used for the analysis.
  • The study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the current evidence on the association between ART and the risk of malignancy in offspring.

Comparative Analysis & Findings

  • The study found that ART did not increase the risk of overall malignancy in offspring compared to natural pregnancy (NP), with an OR of 1.04.
  • However, the subgroup analysis showed that ART offspring had a higher risk of specific types of cancers, including leukemia (OR, 1.24), soft tissue tumors (OR, 1.35), hepatic tumors (OR, 2.10), and epithelial tumors and melanoma (OR, 1.50).
  • The risks of lymphoma, retinoblastoma, central nervous system tumors, neuroblastoma, renal tumors, germ cell and gonad tumors, and embryonic tumors did not differ between the ART and NP groups.

Implications and Future Directions

  • The study suggests that ART may not be associated with an increased risk of overall malignancy in offspring, but may be associated with an increased risk of specific types of cancers.
  • Future studies should investigate the underlying mechanisms and potential mediating factors that may contribute to the increased risk of certain cancers in ART offspring.
  • Additionally, further research is needed to determine the long-term effects of ART on the health of offspring and to identify potential biomarkers for early detection and prevention of cancer in ART offspring.
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