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Correlation between fertility drugs use and malignant melanoma incidence: the state of the art

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Tumor Biology

Abstract

The relationship between fertility, reproductive hormones, and risk of malignant melanoma has acquired much interest in recent years. Melanocytes are hormonally responsive cells, and some in vitro studies demonstrated that estrogen hormones stimulate the growth of melanocytes. Moreover, estrogen receptors have been identified in melanoma cells, as well as in melanocytic nevi and in normal skin. Some evidences suggest a possible link between fertility treatments and the increased risk of malignant melanoma. This article addresses this association through a scrupulous search of the literature published thus far. The aim of this review is to determine the incidence of malignant melanoma in women treated with fertility drugs and to examine if the exposure to fertility treatments really increases the risk of malignant melanoma. In particular, our analysis focused on the different types of drugs and different treatment schedules used. Finally, this study provides additional insights regarding the long-term relationships between fertility drugs and the risk of malignant melanoma.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gynaecological and Obstetrical Sciences and Urological Sciences, University of Rome “Sapienza”, Viale Regina Elena 324, Rome, 00161, Italy

    Federica Tomao & Pierluigi Benedetti Panici

  2. Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, University of Rome “Sapienza”, Corso della Repubblica 79, Latina, 04100, Italy

    Anselmo Papa, Giuseppe Lo Russo, Gian Paolo Spinelli, Luigi Rossi, Davide Caruso, Valeria Stati & Silverio Tomao

  3. Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, University of Rome “Sapienza”, Polo Pontino, Rome, Italy

    Sara Zuber

  4. Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome “Sapienza”, Viale Regina Elena 324, Rome, 00161, Italy

    Natalie Prinzi

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  1. Federica Tomao
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  2. Anselmo Papa
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  3. Giuseppe Lo Russo
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  4. Sara Zuber
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  9. Valeria Stati
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  10. Pierluigi Benedetti Panici
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  11. Silverio Tomao
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Correspondence to Federica Tomao.

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Federica Tomao, Anselmo Papa, and Giuseppe Lo Russo equally contributed to this work

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Tomao, F., Papa, A., Lo Russo, G. et al. Correlation between fertility drugs use and malignant melanoma incidence: the state of the art. Tumor Biol. 35, 8415–8424 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-014-2230-4

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