Chemo drug (etoposide) in pregnancy may cause early menopause in daughters (mice study)

 (Etoposide) also known as: Trade names: Toposar^®, VePesid^®, Etopophos^® Other name: VP-16, Etoposide phosphate

medical news
  Saturday 13 August 2016 
 

"If the results we have seen in these mouse studies are replicated in human tissue, it could mean that girls born to moms who are taking etoposide during pregnancy have a reduced fertility window."

Prof. Norah Spears

The University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom finds that etoposide - a chemotherapy drug used to treat lung cancer, ovarian cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma - may affect the future fertility of unborn baby girls.

Etoposide works by blocking an enzyme, which is necessary for cancer cells to divide and grow into two new cells. If this enzyme is blocked, the cell's DNA becomes tangled, and the cell can no longer divide.
According to Cancer Research UK, between 1-10 in every 100 people experience infertility due to the use of etoposide. Chemotherapy can stop the ovaries from producing eggs temporarily or sometimes permanently, and some people experience early menopause.

However, this research shows that etoposide damages the development of lab-grown mouse ovary tissue and affects specialized cells - called germ cells - that lead to egg production. Further studies are needed to observe if the same effect is true in human tissue.

Long-term effects of drug on reproductive system previously unknown

Experts caution that daughters of women who received chemotherapy during pregnancy should be informed that they might undergo early menopause.

 Around 1 in 1,000 pregnant women are diagnosed with cancer, requiring consideration for the use of chemotherapy during pregnancy. However, little is known about the possible long-term detrimental effects of etoposide on the reproductive system of the unborn child.