TY - JOUR

T1 - Tumors of the central nervous system among women treated with fertility drugs

T2 - a population-based cohort study

AU - Frandsen, Clarissa L.B.

AU - Jensen, Allan

AU - Poulsen, Frantz R.

AU - Møller, Maria

AU - Lindquist, Sofie

AU - Albieri, Vanna

AU - Nøhr, Bugge

AU - Kjær, Susanne K.

N1 - Funding Information: The study was supported by an Internal Grant from the Danish Cancer Society.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Purpose: To investigate the association between fertility drugs and tumors of the central nervous system (CNS). Methods: This cohort study was based on The Danish Infertility Cohort and included 148,016 infertile women living in Denmark (1995–2017). The study cohort was linked to national registers to obtain information on use of specific fertility drugs, cancer diagnoses, covariates, emigration, and vital status. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all CNS tumors and separately for gliomas, meningiomas and diverse benign tumors of the brain and other parts of the CNS. Results: During a median 11.3 years of follow-up, 328 women were diagnosed with CNS tumors. No marked associations were observed between use of the fertility drugs clomiphene citrate, gonadotropins, gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor modulators and progesterone and CNS tumors. However, use of human chorionic gonadotropin was associated with a decreased rate of meningiomas (HR 0.49 95% CI 0.28–0.87). No clear associations with CNS tumors were observed according to time since first use or cumulative dose for any of the fertility drugs. Conclusion: No associations between use of most types of fertility drugs and CNS tumors were observed. However, our findings only apply to premenopausal women and additional studies with longer follow-up time are necessary.

AB - Purpose: To investigate the association between fertility drugs and tumors of the central nervous system (CNS). Methods: This cohort study was based on The Danish Infertility Cohort and included 148,016 infertile women living in Denmark (1995–2017). The study cohort was linked to national registers to obtain information on use of specific fertility drugs, cancer diagnoses, covariates, emigration, and vital status. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all CNS tumors and separately for gliomas, meningiomas and diverse benign tumors of the brain and other parts of the CNS. Results: During a median 11.3 years of follow-up, 328 women were diagnosed with CNS tumors. No marked associations were observed between use of the fertility drugs clomiphene citrate, gonadotropins, gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor modulators and progesterone and CNS tumors. However, use of human chorionic gonadotropin was associated with a decreased rate of meningiomas (HR 0.49 95% CI 0.28–0.87). No clear associations with CNS tumors were observed according to time since first use or cumulative dose for any of the fertility drugs. Conclusion: No associations between use of most types of fertility drugs and CNS tumors were observed. However, our findings only apply to premenopausal women and additional studies with longer follow-up time are necessary.

KW - Central nervous system neoplasms

KW - Cohort studies

KW - Fertility agents

KW - Glioma

KW - Infertility

KW - Meningioma

U2 - 10.1007/s10552-022-01610-w

DO - 10.1007/s10552-022-01610-w

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35895242

AN - SCOPUS:85137062886

VL - 33

SP - 1285

EP - 1293

JO - Cancer Causes & Control

JF - Cancer Causes & Control

SN - 0957-5243

IS - 10

ER -