BGU researchers have found that babies born from mothers who
underwent fertility treatments are at increased risk of developing many types
of pediatric cancers and tumors (neoplasms).
According to the American Cancer Society, the most common pediatric
neoplasms are leukemia, brain and spinal cord tumors, neuroblastomas, Wilms
tumors, and lymphoma, including both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin.
The study, "Fertility treatments and pediatric neoplasms of the offspring: results of a population-based cohort with a median follow-up of 10 years", published in
the March issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, was a population-based
cohort analysis of babies born between 1991 and 2013 at Soroka University
Medical Center in Beer-Sheva with follow-up to age 18.
"In Israel, all
fertility interventions, which include in vitro fertilization (IVF) and
ovulation induction (OI), are fully covered by insurance, enabling citizens of
all backgrounds access to these treatments," says Prof. Eyal Sheiner,
M.D., Ph.D., Vice Dean for Student Affairs at BGU's Faculty of Health Sciences (FOHS), a physician at Soroka University Medical Center and member of the Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Of the 242,187 newborn
infants in the study, 237,863 (98.3 percent) were conceived spontaneously;
2,603 (1.1 percent) were conceived after in vitro fertilization, and 1,721 (0.7
percent) were conceived after ovulation induction treatments.
During the follow-up
period of approximately 10.6 years, 1,498 neoplasms (0.6 percent) were
diagnosed. The incidence rate for neoplasms was highest among children either
after IVF (1.5/1000) and somewhat lower for OI births (1.0/1000) as compared to
that of naturally conceived children (.59/1000).
"The research
concludes that the association between IVF and total pediatric neoplasms and
malignancies is significant," Prof. Sheiner says. "With increasing
numbers of offspring conceived after fertility treatments, it is important to
follow up on their health."
Other researchers who
participated in the study include Prof. Tamar Weinstock, Prof. Ilana
Shoham-Vardi and Ruslan Sergienko, Department of Public Health, BGU; Dr. Daniella Landau, Division of Pediatrics, BGU; Drs. Ari Harlev and Asnat
Walfisch, Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, BGU; and Dr. Idit
Segal, Israel Ministry of Health.
