Fertility Preservation in Cancer Patients Undergoing Gonadotoxic Treatment

Abstract

The association between better cancer detection and treatment techniques and the increase of incidence of cancer among younger patients have resulted in a bigger number of patients reaching reproductive age, which associated with the known gonadotoxic effects of cancer therapies raises issues about the reproductive health and fertility preservation in this patients.
It is the purpose of this investigation to assess the knowledge and clinical practice of oncologists on the subject of fertility preservation. To do so, a questionnaire was sent by the Portuguese Society of Oncology to its associates. Thirty-five replies were obtained, and they showed that 97% of oncologists believe that more attention should be given to this topic and 52.4% mentioned already addressing the subject with the patients, despite of their limited knowledge on the available procedures. Only 5 out of 30 doctors stated giving written information and 44% never referred a patient to Reproductive Medicine. Training lectures and the establishment of Referral protocols between Oncology and Reproductive Medicine could be fruitful in the improvement of the approach to the oncological patient in reproductive age.