Outcomes after assisted reproductive technology in women with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AbstractSTUDY QUESTIONWhat are the associations between a history of cancer and outcomes after ART?SUMMARY ANSWERCompared to women without cancer, on average, women with cancer had a lower return for embryo transfer and a lower likelihood of clinical pregnancy and live birth after ART.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYSmall, single-institution studies have suggested that cancer and its treatment may negatively affect ART outcomes.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONWe conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis of studies comparing ART outcomes between women with and without cancer. PubMed, Embase and Scopus were searched for original, English-language studies published up to June 2021.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSInclusion criteria required reporting of ART outcomes after controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) among women with a history of cancer compared to women without cancer who used ART for any indication. Outcomes of interest ranged from duration of COS to likelihood of live birth after embryo transfer. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate mean differences and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs and 95% prediction intervals (PIs). We assessed heterogeneity by age-adjustment, referent group indication for ART, study location and among women with breast cancer and women who initiated ART before cancer treatment. We used visual inspection, Egger ’s test and the trim-and-fill method to assess funnel plot asymmetry.MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCEOf 6094 unique recor...
Source: Human Reproduction - Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: research