Possible link found between IVF and ovarian cancer

A recent study conducted in the Netherlands suggests a possible link between receiving in-vitro fertilization treatments and ovarian cancer. The study followed women who had IVF treatments, from the time of their first treatment to up to 16 years later. In most cases, the increased risk was of a non-invasive type of tumor. This article from Our Bodies, Our Selves shares more on the study:

A recent article in the journal Human Reproduction has attracted a fair bit of attention because it suggests a possible link between in vitro fertilization (IVF) and later increased risk of ovarian cancer.

Certain factors increase a woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer, including a family history of reproductive cancers, personal history of cancer, certain gene mutations, increasing age, hormone replacement therapy, and infertility itself.  Right now, it’s still very hard to determine how much fertility treatments – such as the ovarian stimulation used in IVF – may contribute to increased risk.

For the current study, researchers in the Netherlands identified about nineteen thousand women with fertility problems who received in vitro fertilization, and about six thousand women who had fertility problems before IVF was in common use and so did not receive it. The researchers used questionnaires and medical and cancer records to follow the women for fourteen to sixteen years, from the time of their first IVF treatment or first infertility diagnosis.

The authors found a two-fold risk of ovarian cancer in women who had IVF. Most of this increased risk, however, was for “borderline ovarian tumors,” a noninvasive type that may require surgery but typically has a good prognosis. There was no significant difference in rates of invasive ovarian cancer between the two groups. The authors also note that even larger studies are needed to confirm or refute their findings and to examine any possible relationship between the dose of ovarian stimulation treatments and increased ovarian cancer risk.

They also make this important point:

Knowledge about the magnitude of the risks associated with ovarian stimulation is important for women considering starting or continuing IVF treatment, as well as their treating physicians.

A 2006 review of existing literature on the topic also observed “a stronger association…between fertility drug use and borderline tumors of the ovary,” but called the finding “not consistent among the available studies to date.”

Although there is no definitive correlation between receiving IVF treatments and ovarian cancer, it is important to understand the risks of IVF before undergoing treatment. Your OB can provide you with more information.

Chemo Options for Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is a disease that over 21,000 are diagnosed with a year. While a diagnosis may be extremely scary, it’s important to know what the process of treatment looks like. Because there is no real screening process for ovarian cancer, the disease is usually found in its more advanced stages. Treatment typically begins with surgery, but because cancer cells are usually not all removed from surgery alone, ovarian cancer patients must also go through chemotherapy to eliminate any cells that may still remain in the body.

This article from WebMD describes the chemotherapy process for ovarian cancer and how the treatment works to combat the disease:

The chemotherapy drugs used to treat ovarian cancer are fairly standard. Typically doctors combine a platinum-based drug such as carboplatin (Paraplatin) or cisplatin with a taxane such as paclitaxel (Taxol) or docetaxel (Taxotere).

Two different methods are used to administer the drugs. One method is to give them through a vein (intravenously or IV). Chemotherapy is administered in cycles of treatment days and rest. That means you'll get the drug treatment, and then you'll have a rest period. The number of treatment days varies with the drug given. Women with ovarian cancer typically get six cycles of chemotherapy.

The other option is to deliver the chemotherapy directly into the abdominal cavity using a thin tube or catheter. This process is known as intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy. The advantage to IP chemotherapy is that it bathes the cancer cells directly in the cancer-killing drugs.

Doctors will often place the tube for IP chemotherapy during the initial surgery to remove the cancer. The tube is attached to a port, which makes it easy to deliver the drugs into the abdomen each time treatment is given.

Often, women who receive IP chemotherapy get IV chemotherapy too, because studies have shown that the combination significantly improves survival.

Click the link to read the full article and learn more about chemotherapy treatment for ovarian cancer: http://bit.ly/1p2T5zu