A new study from University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has found that very few young women, and only certain groups of young women, with cancer attempt to preserve their fertility while undergoing cancer therapy. The study, published early online in Cancer, suggests that counseling on fertility preservation is needed for reproductive-aged women diagnosed with cancer.
Quality-of-life concerns are growing increasingly more significant for today’s many cancer survivors. For younger, reproductive-aged women, chemotherapy and other cancer therapies often increase the possibility of infertility and early menopause. As a result, a woman may feel remorse upon losing the ability to bear children due to her cancer treatment. With assisted reproductive techniques widely available, female cancer patients have the opportunity to improve their chances of conceiving.
To determine which women utilize these fertility-preserving techniques, a team of researchers led by Mitchell Rosen, MD, of UCSF, surveyed 1041 women between the ages of 18 and 40 years diagnosed with cancer. The cancer types included breast cancer, Hodgkin disease, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia, and gastrointestinal cancer. Most of the women (918) received therapies involving the potential to negatively affect their fertility. These therapies included bone marrow transplant, chemotherapy, pelvic radiation, or pelvic surgery.
Surveys showed 61% of the women received counseling regarding cancer treatment risks related to their fertility, and fertility preservation was pursued by only 4% of women overall. However, researchers discovered that rates increased over time. Only 1% of the women pursued fertility preservation in 1993, but from 2005 to 2007, percentages reached between 6% and 10%.
According to the study, certain groups of women were more likely to receive counseling about the risks of cancer treatment to fertility and more likely to preserve fertility before cancer treatment. These women included those who are Caucasian, heterosexual, childless, younger, and who graduated from college.
“Although more women are getting counseled regarding reproductive health risks, many women are still not receiving adequate information about their options at the time of cancer diagnosis,” said Dr. Rosen. “Routine counseling regarding reproductive health risk and options for preserving reproductive potential will improve the quality of life among survivors, and the overall quality of care.”
Source: NCI.
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