OVARIAN-CANCER AFTER SUCCESSFUL OVULATION INDUCTION - A CASE-REPORT

BACKGROUND: Questions have been raised regarding the potential associa tion of ovulation-inducing drugs and ovarian cancer. Worldwide there h ave been 13 cases of ovarian carcinoma reported to occur in women prev iously treated with ovulation-inducing drugs (clomiphene citrate and/o r gonadotropins). CASE: A 40-year-old woman complained of secondary in fertility. She conceived after five cycles of human menopausal gonadot ropins with intrauterine insemination. Eight months after cesarean del ivery, she presented with right lower quadrant pain and a right adnexa l mass. At exploratory laparotomy the patient was found to have It poo rly differentiated papillary serous carcinoma of the ovary. CONCLUSION : Ovarian carcinoma developed within 18 months of exposure to ovulatio n-inducing agents, human menopausal gonadotropins. It would be prudent to gather a registry of cases to assess the risk associated with huma n menopausal gonadotropins with or without gonadotropin-releasing horm one analogs.