Children born as a result of fertility treatment do not have an increased risk of developing cancer, a new study indicates.

At least 10% of couples have problems conceiving a child, with many opting for assisted reproductive technology (ART), such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), in an attempt to get pregnant. However, some researchers have voiced concerns that children born as a result of ART may have an increased risk of going on to develop cancer, so UK scientists decided to investigate this further.

They looked at over 106,000 children born as a result of ART between 1992 and 2008 and assessed how many of these had developed cancer and how this compared to the general population.

The study found that children born as a result of ART had no increased risk of developing cancer compared to the general population. In the ART group, 108 children developed cancer. Among the general population, around 109 cases would have been expected.

"This is the largest study of its kind to be reported and is unique in that the data are derived from a single country and in a homogeneous population.

"The absence of cancer in children - or in adults - can be considered a measure of long-term health resilience, so we are happy to report that in the country where IVF was first successfully applied, there is no convincing evidence that ART children are at any greater risk of cancer than those naturally conceived," commented lead investigator, Prof Alastair Sutcliffe, of the Institute of Child Health in London.

The scientists added that this is ‘reassuring news for couples considering assisted conception, their subsequent children, fertility specialists and for the wider public health'.

Details of these findings were presented at the recent annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in London.