IVF Babies Have An Increased Risk of Leukemia, Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Study

Couples struggling to conceive turn to in vitro fertilization (IVF) for higher chances of conception. However, a new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics suggests that IVF babies are at higher risk for blood cancer.

U.S. News reported that babies conceived through IVF are at higher risk of developing blood cancer. These children had 67 percent increased risk of developing leukemia and more than tripled risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma, compared to children conceived naturally.

However, parents who resort to IVF should not panic because the risk of childhood cancer is very small, said lead author Dr. Marte Myhre Reigstad.

"For example, in Norway, the risk of being diagnosed with leukemia within the first 10 years of life is 0.5 in 1,000," Reigstad said. "A risk increase of such magnitude as found in our study would amount to a risk of 0.8 in 1,000. So for children conceived by assisted reproductive technology, there is still only a very small chance of developing cancer."

The researchers from Norway reviewed the medical data for all children born in the country between 1984 and 2011. Of the over 16.1 million children, about 25,800 of them were conceived through different assisted reproductive technology procedure.

The researchers found out that there were only 17 cases of leukemia and three cases of Hodgkin's lymphoma among the IVF kids in the sample, Philly has learned.

The team did not find any significant increase in IVF children's overall risk of cancer, aside from leukemia and Hodgkin's lymphoma, which are cancers that affect blood cells.

However, the statistics behind these risk only accounts for a small number of sick kids, said Susan Amirian, assistant professor at the Baylor College of Medicine's Duncan Cancer Center in Houston.

"We need to be extra cautious interpreting that number, and we need a lot more studies that confirm that association before we can say there's a true relationship there," Amirian said of the results.

Amirian and Melissa Bondy, editorial co-author, believe that there are several possible reasons IVF children have increased risk for some cancer.

Bondy pointed out that mothers who turned to IVF often do so later in their life and there have been previous studies suggesting that kids of older mothers are at higher risk for cancer.

Parental genetics is another factor. Whatever it is that contributed to a parent's infertility might increase the child's risk for cancer.

The researchers are not discouraging hopeful parents to turn to IVF or other assisted reproductive technology.

"I think this should not dissuade couples from being treated with IVF, but medical researchers and care providers must keep these findings in mind, and we must keep observing these children as they grow older," Reigstad said.