A commonly used cancer drug may affect the fertility of baby girls in the womb, researchers warned today.
Etoposide is a cytotoxic drug used to treat diseases such as Kaposi’s sarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, lung cancer, testicular cancer, lymphoma, non-lymphocytic leukaemia and glioblastoma multiforme.
Edinburgh University researchers issued a warning after studying the effect of the drug on laboratory mice.
The researchers found the drug had an impact on a baby’s future fertility when given in the early stages of pregnancy. Its effect was to wipe out up to 90% of germ cells – preventing the development of follicles.
This applied even at low doses, they have reported in BMC Cancer.
Researcher Professor Norah Spears, of the University’s Centre for Integrative Physiology, said: "If the results we have seen in these mouse studies are replicated in human tissue, it could mean that girls born to mums who are taking etoposide during pregnancy have a reduced fertility window."
Jacque Gerrard, of the Royal College of Midwives, said there had been a lack of studies of the impact of chemotherapy on pregnancy.
She said: "This study to examine the long term effects of chemotherapy during pregnancy is long overdue but we very much welcome the results."
BMC Cancer August 2016
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