A Follow-up Study of Women Evaluated and Treated for Infertility

To assess the relations of infertility causes and treatment to cancer risk, we will conduct a retrospective cohort study of approximately 12,000 women evaluated for infertility between 1965-1988. These women will be ascertained from several large infertility clinics and private practices in various geographic locations in the United States: Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Palo Alto. These practices were selected on the basis of their having large number of patients who received ovulation stimulating drugs many years in the distant past. Abstractors reviewed clinic medical records to identify eligible study participants and abstract data needed to classify causes of infertility and document therapies employed. Using a variety of tracing sources (including the National Death Index, credit bureaus, and postmasters), the vital status and location of the study subjects were determined. Subjects who were traced and identified as alive are being sent a detailed questionnaire that requests information on their health status as well as on a number of lifestyle practices. For subjects who report a cancer, medical verification is being sought from the diagnosing physicians and/or facilities. Death certificates are being sought for deceased subjects.

为评估不孕症病因、治疗手段与癌症风险之间的关联，我们拟开展一项回顾性队列研究，纳入1965年至1988年间因不孕症就诊的约12000名女性。这些研究对象均来自美国波士顿、芝加哥、底特律、纽约及帕洛阿尔托等多个地理区域的多家大型不孕症诊所与私人诊疗机构。上述机构的入选依据为：其在多年前拥有大量接受过促排卵药物治疗的患者。研究人员将审阅诊所病历，以甄别符合入组条件的研究参与者，并提取用于分类不孕症病因、记录所采用治疗方案所需的相关数据。通过国家死亡索引、信用征信机构、邮政部门等多种溯源渠道，我们将确定研究对象的生存状态与所在地理位置。对于经追踪确认仍存活的研究对象，我们将向其寄送详细问卷，收集其健康状况及多项生活方式相关信息。对于报告罹患癌症的研究对象，我们将向诊断医师及/或诊疗机构申请获取医学验证材料；对于已故研究对象，则将收集其死亡证明。