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Ovulation inducing agents and cancer risk: review of literature

Gianna Gabriella Impicciatore1, Gian Mario Tiboni

  • 1Sezione di Scienze della Riproduzione, Dipartimento di Medicina e Scienze dell’Invecchiamento, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università G. d'Annunzio Chieti-Pescara, Italy.

Current Drug Safety
|December 2, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Fertility drugs like clomiphene citrate may not increase cancer risk, despite early concerns. More research is needed to confirm findings on ovulation induction and malignancy associations.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Oncology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • The use of ovulation-inducing drugs has risen, prompting investigation into potential links with various cancers.
  • Concerns exist regarding fertility treatments, including clomiphene citrate and gonadotropins, and their association with malignancies.
  • Existing studies often have methodological limitations, such as small sample sizes and incomplete follow-up.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the potential causal link between fertility treatments and cancer risk.
  • To synthesize current evidence regarding ovulation-inducing agents and specific malignancies.
  • To address the methodological shortcomings of previous research in this field.

Main Methods:

  • Review and analysis of existing epidemiological studies on fertility drugs and cancer.
  • Assessment of data quality, including sample size, follow-up duration, and control for confounders.
  • Comparative analysis of findings across different cancer types and fertility treatments.

Main Results:

  • The majority of evidence does not support a causal link between ovulation-inducing agents and ovarian cancer.
  • Increased cancer risk observed after in vitro fertilization (IVF) appears related to infertility itself, not the treatment drugs.
  • Evidence regarding breast cancer risk associated with clomiphene citrate is controversial and inconclusive.
  • Some studies suggest a potential trend towards increased endometrial cancer risk, warranting further investigation.

Conclusions:

  • Current data on fertility drugs and cancer risk are not definitive and signal the need for more robust research.
  • Methodological limitations in existing studies hinder conclusive statements about malignancy risks.
  • Further well-designed studies are essential to clarify the relationship between ovulation induction and cancer development.

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