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Evidence summaries

Cancer Incidence in Children Born after Assisted Reproductive Technologies

Assisted reproductive technologies probably do not increase the risk of cancer in children. Level of evidence: "C"

A systematic review 1 including 11 observational studies with a total of 40815 subjects was abstracted in DARE. The meta-analysis of 11 studies found no significant increase in cancer among children born after assisted reproductive technologies (ART); the study-adjusted SIR was 1.33 (95% confidence interval: 0.62, 2.85). There was no evidence of publication bias, but there was significant heterogeneity between the studies (P<0.001). When restricting the analysis to the 8 cohort studies, there was a non significant decrease in cancer among children born after ART; the study-adjusted SIR was 0.77 (95% confidence interval: 0.41, 1.42). There was significant heterogeneity (P=0.003).

    References

    • Raimondi S, Pedotti P, Taioli E. Meta-analysis of cancer incidence in children born after assisted reproductive technologies. British Journal of Cancer 2005;93:1053-1056. [DARE]

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