In my previous post about ovarian-stimulating drugs and their seeming link to cancer, I talked about how many reproductive doctors (and myself) “feel” this is true. Here is a clinical study that seems to back up this feeling. I’m not sure why they conclude it is “reassuring” but then quickly mumble something about an association with “borderline tumors” and then they immediately back up and call for more clinical trials. I guess it’s probably because they don’t want to ruin their business, but also don’t want it to be found that the treatments cause cancer, like they have recently found out with hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which they put a LOT of women on, without any longitudinal testing (actually, when they finally did some trials, they found out HRT was SO bad for you, they actually stopped the trials…).
Again, YOUR health is YOUR health, please treat it wisely. Caveat emptor!
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Induction of ovulation and ovarian cancer: a critical review of the
literature
Ali Mahdavi, M.D.a, Tanja Pejovic, M.D.b, Farr Nezhat, M.D.a
Received 22 February 2005; received in revised form 15 August 2005;
accepted 15 August 2005 published online 7 March 2006.
Objective
To critically examine the possible association between
ovulation-inducing drugs and ovarian cancer.
Design
Medline literature review and cross-reference of published data.
Results(s)
The studies that have adjusted for the effects of confounding factors
such as duration of oral contraceptive use and number of pregnancies
have noted an increased risk of ovarian cancer among infertile women who
remain childless despite long periods of unprotected intercourse.
Whether such women are at risk due to the primary basis for their infertility
or factors such as ovulation-inducing drugs, has been the subject of
several studies. Overall, the findings on ovarian cancer (especially
invasive epithelial and non-epithelial) risk associated with fertility drug
treatment are reassuring. However, a stronger association between
fertility drug use and borderline tumors of the ovary has been observed.
Conclusion(s)
Despite the overall reassuring findings of the available studies, there
is a need for well-designed clinical trials to understand the possible
carcinogenic effects of the ovulation-inducing drugs.
Key Words: Ovarian cancer, ovulation induction, infertility
a Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics,
Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York,
New York
b Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
Reprint requests: Ali Mahdavi, M.D., 820 Turtle Crest Drive, Irvine,
California 92603 (FAX: 714-456-7754)
PII: S0015-0282(05)04213-5
doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2005.08.061
© 2006 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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