Assisted Reproductive Technology Linked to Risk of Pediatric Cancer

Considering the growing popularity of assisted reproductive technology (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), many researchers are looking to understand better the risks associated with these procedures. Researchers in JAMA Network Open determined that ART is associated with a 58% increase in pediatric cancer risk.

Based on information from the CDC, ART is “fertility treatments in which either eggs or embryos are handled. In general, ART procedures involve surgically removing eggs from a woman’s ovaries, combining them with sperm in the laboratory, and returning them to the woman’s body or donating them to another woman.” 

This study looked at 2,308,016 children conceived via natural conception, subfertility and non-ART, or ART.

This study is characterized as a population-based cohort study. Of all the children in this study, 1,880 developed childhood cancer.

The risk of developing childhood cancer was the highest for patients conceived via ART, with the incidence rate for patients conceived via ART being 203.1. Comparatively, non-ART and natural conception incidence were 137.6 and 121.4, respectively.

Researchers found that compared to natural conception, patients conceived with ART were 58% more likely to develop cancer. The risk was the highest for leukemias and hepatic tumors, increasing by 2.1 and 2.71 times, respectively.

Compared to those conceived via non-ART forms, patients conceived with ART were at a 42% increased risk for all childhood cancers and an 88% increased risk for leukemias with a 241% increased risk for hepatic tumors.

“This study found significant differences in the risk of childhood cancers when comparing ART conception with subfertility and non-ART conception, but no significant differences were found between natural conception and subfertility with no use of ART. Those comparisons suggest that the increased cancer risk may be due to ART treatment rather than subfertility. However, ART conception may be a proxy for more severe infertility,” stated researchers in the publication.

Understanding the risks associated with ART may impact patient and provider decisions regarding opting for ARTs. Additionally, understanding the ART risks may help researchers adjust the treatment to minimize the risk of adverse outcomes.