Parental infertility, infertility treatment and hepatoblastoma: a report from the Children's Oncology Group.

BACKGROUND

A recent study suggested a markedly increased risk of hepatoblastoma (HB) among children conceived with treatment for infertility. However, it is not clear whether this finding is confounded by the association between HB and low birthweight (LBW).

METHODS

Associations between parental infertility and its treatment and HB were examined using data from a case-control study conducted through the Children's Oncology Group (COG). Telephone interviews were completed for 383 mothers of cases diagnosed with HB at US COG institutions between January 2000 and December 2008 and for 387 mothers of controls recruited through state birth registries. Logistic regression was used to examine possible associations.

RESULTS

After adjusting for birthweight and other potential confounders, no significant association was found for any of the measures of parental infertility or its treatment. In HB cases conceived through assisted reproductive technology (ART), 4 of 16 also had Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) compared with 9 of 365 in HB cases without ART.

CONCLUSIONS

Little evidence of an association between parental infertility or its treatment and HB was found. The relationship found in a previous study could be due to LBW and BWS which are risk factors for HB and also associated with parental infertility and its treatment.