Ovulation induction treatment and risk of borderline ovarian tumors.
OBJECTIVE
Research has suggested an association between the use of ovulation induction drugs and the risk of ovarian cancer. It has also been proposed that there may be pre-cancerous alterations in the ovary which themselves are the cause of infertility. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between the use of ovulation induction drugs and the appearance of borderline ovarian tumors.


METHODS
This was a case-control study in which the study group comprised 42 women with a borderline ovarian tumor and the control group comprised 257 women with benign ovarian pathology.


RESULTS
No differences were found between the borderline tumor and control groups (14.3% vs. 27.2%, respectively) in terms of infertility history. Nor were there any differences between the groups with respect to the type of drug used, whether clomiphene citrate (9.5% vs. 6.2%, respectively) or gonadotropins (7.1% vs. 10.1%, respectively). Analysis in terms of the number of cycles administered also failed to reveal any differences. The mean number of cycles with clomiphene citrate/gonadotropins was 2.50 +/- 1.00 and 3.00 +/- 2.64 in the borderline tumor group and 2.44 +/- 1.75 and 3.27 +/- 2.25 in the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
Our series produced no evidence that ovulation induction treatment predisposes women to the development of borderline ovarian tumors.
Cusidó
Maite
M
Departament d'Obstetricia i Ginecologia, Institut Universitari Dexeus, Càtedra d'Investigació en Ginecologia, Barcelona, Spain. maicus@dexeus.com
Fábregas
Rafael
R
Pere
Barris S
BS
Escayola
Cecilia
C
Barri
Pere Nolsac
PN
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002996:Clomiphene / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005300:Fertility Agents, Female / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006062:Gonadotropins / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D010062:Ovulation Induction / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D005300:Fertility Agents, Female; D006062:Gonadotropins; D002996:Clomiphene