Retinoblastoma may be linked to in-vitro fertilization

Children conceived through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) could be at an increased risk of a rare eye disease that occurs early on in life, say researchers from the Netherlands.

Retinoblastoma, a malignant tumour of the retina, may be between five and seven times more likely to affect children conceived by IVF, say the authors of the study.

They began their investigation after retinoblastoma – which occurs in around one in 17,000 births in most western countries – was detected in five children at a medical centre in Amsterdam within 15 months of each other.

Leukocoria (white pupil) is a visible symptom of retinoblastoma

The high incidence of the disease prompted the team of researchers to look at the incidence of retinoblastoma among the 1-1.5 per cent of the Dutch population born after IVF.

However, while the study’s authors found an increased incidence of retinoblastoma in IVF-conceived children, they warn that further research is needed to confirm the association.

Dr Annette Moll, of Amsterdam’s VU University Medical Centre, says, “Whether treatment with ovulation-inducing drugs increases the risk of childhood cancer is an important matter, especially with the rising numbers of women undergoing treatment for subfertility.

“Future investigators should consider the number of IVF treatments, other fertility drugs given before IVF, and the possibility that serious disorders in children conceived by IVF are diagnosed earlier than those in other children who do not have such close medical surveillance.”

In an accompanying commentary Dr David BenEzra, from Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital in Jerusalem, Israel, calls for a debate around the issues of IVF and its possible dangers.

This, he says, is necessary in order to “minimise potential harmful effects of unfounded and potentially misleading information”.