Studies find Moderate risk of blood cancer in IVF kids

Emobileclinic Researchers’corner:

Studies find Moderate risk of blood cancer in IVF kids

More than 5 million babies are born globally through IVF and a new study suggests that medical expert should bear in mind and watch for cases of blood cancer in IVF babies. The study finds a high risk of blood cancer in children born with IVF, but the researchers say more studies are needed in this regard for further confirmation.

The new study suggests 67% increase in cancer cases of IVF kids and ‘ more than tripled risk of Hodgkins lymphoma when compare with kids born through natural birth.

The researchers studied 1.6m children, 25,800 were born through assisted reproduction.The children were born between 1984 to 2011.

‘Children born via IVF had a 67 percent increased risk of leukemia and a more than tripled risk of Hodgkin’s lymphoma compared to children conceived naturally, researchers found in an analysis of more than 1.6 million children in Norway. ’17 cases of leukemia and three cases of Hodgkin’s lymphoma were reported among the IVF’ say health news day.

Another study which followed IVF babies total 26,692 children who were born after IVF during the years 1982–2005′ have contrary opinion. According to the researchers, those IVF children with cancers have some factors in common ‘High birth weight, premature delivery, and the presence of respiratory diagnoses and low Apgar score were risk factors for cancer.”

Their research ”identified 53 cases of cancer in children who were born after IVF against 38 expected cases: 18 of them with hematologic cancer (15 of them acute lymphoblastic leukemia), 17 with eye or central nervous system tumors, and 12 with other solid cancers. There were 6 cases of Langerhans histiocytosis against 1.0 expected. The total cancer risk estimate was 1.42 (95% confidence interval: 1.09–1.87).”

They concluded that they ‘ found a moderately increased risk for cancer in children who were conceived by IVF.’

The author of the new study also made mention of ‘contributing factors as previous researchers have suggested ‘ that kids of older mothers have an increased risk for childhood cancers’ and that ‘Parental genetics might also play a factor, in that whatever has contributed to the parents’ infertility might also increase their children’s cancer risk’ says new researcher.

The author of the new research knows parents will be panicked with this research but they further explained that it might not suggests anything to fear about ‘”For example, in Norway, the risk of being diagnosed with leukemia within the first 10 years of life is 0.5 in 1,000,” while by the new search the risk jumps to ‘0.8 in 1,000’. ‘So for children conceived by assisted reproductive technology, there is still only a very small chance of developing cancer”she said.

Although this is significant but one of the authors said there is need to be extra careful with the interpretation of the numbers and suggests ‘more studies that confirm that association before ‘ they ‘ can say there’s a true relationship there,”

This is an observational studies and the researchers left an open blanket for further studies so as not to create an unnecessary fear and alarm.

Another co author said that this should not discourage couples with infertility to use assisted reproduction as blood cancer in Kids occur relatively with or without IVF.

Source

Health day news

Bengt Källén, Orvar Finnström, Anna Lindam, Emma Nilsson, Karl-Gösta Nygren, Petra Otterblad Olausson, On line Paediatric