Guideline based approach to male fertility preservation

With the increased awareness that cancer and its treatments may have a substantial impact upon quality of life before, during, and after therapy, fertility preservation is now widely recognized as an essential component of care for all patients with a new cancer diagnosis. The emergence of formal fertility preservation guidelines from multiple professional societies has provided a framework for incorporating fertility preservation into clinical practice. Providers should discuss fertility considerations with new cancer patients at the earliest possible opportunity, prior to initiation of potentially gonadotoxic cancer treatments. Sperm banking via masturbation remains the easiest and most reliable method for fertility preservation, though a variety of alternatives exist for adolescents and adult males with azoospermia or those who are unable to provide a sample. Ultimately, care can be optimally delivered through a formal fertility preservation program that includes providers from multiple disciplines with the resources to provide comprehensive and expedient care.     

Laparoscopic assisted extracorporeal ovarian harvest: A novel technique to optimize ovarian tissue for cryopreservation in young females with cancer

BackgroundAdvances in pediatric cancer therapy have improved the long-term survival for many children with cancer. The awareness of quality of life aspects, specifically fertility preservation, has become a reality for many of these families and children. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation has emerged as an available fertility option for young females with cancer. Safe and effective removal of ovarian tissue in these girls is paramount. We report a laparoscopic assisted extracorporeal ovarian harvest technique that achieves this goal.Operative techniqueWe place a 5 mm port at the umbilicus and in the right lower quadrant. Under laparoscopic guidance we place a 12 mm port in the left suprapubic area. Utilizing the 12 mm port site a monofilament traction suture is placed through the left ovary. The traction suture is used to translocate the ovary to an extracorporeal position via the 12 mm port site. Ovarian tissue is then excised utilizing standard surgical technique with the scalpel. Hemostasis is obtained and the capsule is closed with a running absorbable suture. The ovary is placed back in its native position laparoscopically.ConclusionsThe use of this extracorporeal ovarian harvesting technique is a safe and effective method to optimize removal and minimize tissue injury. Utilization of this technique, may have potential benefit to the young female with cancer.     

Pregnancy after breast cancer: a case study resolving the reproductive challenge with a gestational surrogate

Abstract: Pregnancy and fertility issues are substantial concerns for the young breast cancer survivor, yet the available literature is hampered by a lack of prospective clinical studies and meaningful long‐term outcome data. A lack of reliable information often leads to physician discomfort and patients may be left to navigate the world of fertility preservation and reproductive technology on their own. This case exemplifies some of the many issues that breast cancer survivors may face and adds another dimension to the survivor's dilemma; once fertility options have been preserved, what is the best method to sustain the pregnancy—self or surrogate? For many, the goal of balancing optimal treatment and long‐term survival with restoration of a complete quality of life, including childbearing, may be attainable. This discussion highlights the importance of offering young breast cancer patients an opportunity to discuss these issues with their health care providers prior to initiating therapy.     

女性儿童和青少年肿瘤患者生育力保存研究进展

近年来随着儿童和青少年肿瘤远期生存率的不断提高,这些肿瘤患者的生育力保存受到越来越多人关注。化疗和放疗可能会损害儿童和青少年肿瘤患者的生育力,使其在成年后发生卵巢早衰和不孕的风险增大,严重影响了成年幸存者的生活质量。卵子冷冻是青春期后患者保存生育力的标准方案,卵巢组织冷冻是青春期前儿童保存生育力的主要方法。对于移植卵巢组织有肿瘤细胞种植风险的患者,卵泡体外培养和人工卵巢可能是未来生育力保存发展的方向。本文综述女性儿童和青少年肿瘤患者生育力保存的现状和研究进展,为临床工作和进一步研究提供参考。     

Oncofertility in urologic oncology: Fertility preservation for women undergoing cancer treatment

Thousands of reproductive age women are treated for urologic malignancies each year in the United States. Treatments for advanced bladder and renal cancers have the potential to affect future fertility in female patients. The American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Reproductive Medicine recognize the importance of fertility preservation, categorizing it as a necessary part of medical care. Iatrogenic infertility has a tremendous impact on quality of life in survivors' of cancer. Fertility preservation counseling and treatment can improve long-term quality of life, therefore access to such counseling and treatment should be expanded.     

Fertility in Breast Cancer Survivors in the Middle East: A Retrospective Study

IntroductionBy the time they complete breast cancer therapy, many young patients are still of childbearing age. We aim to estimate the incidence of pregnancies in women who completed treatment and examine the percentage of patients who received fertility counseling before initiation of therapy.Material and methodsElectronic health records of breast cancer patients between 2008 and 2014 at AUBMC were screened for exclusion criteria of having metastatic disease or known infertility, still receiving therapy, and being above 42 years at diagnosis. Data about therapy and tumor characteristics was obtained for the included survivors who were interviewed as well via telephone for information about fertility preservation counseling, pregnancy occurrence, and delivery.Results451 breast cancer patients were identified. 39 patients remained after application of exclusion criteria. 30.76% (n = 12) wanted more children at the time of diagnosis. 10.25% (n = 4) of all 39 patients treated for breast cancer achieved one or more pregnancy after a median time of 3.83 years after completion of therapy. 25% (n = 3) of women who wanted more children at diagnosis (n = 12) were able to conceive. 23.07% (n = 9) of patients discussed fertility with their primary oncologist prior to treatment initiation. 35.89% (n = 14) of patients were aware of fertility preservation technique availability, but none of these patients used one.ConclusionsThe observed rate of pregnancy is comparable to the literature. There is a lack in fertility counseling of breast cancer patients, and the rate of use of fertility preservation techniques is very low despite prior knowledge about their availability.     

5～7岁住院癌症患儿生活质量自我报告与父母报告的一致性研究

目的调查分析5~7岁住院癌症患儿生活质量的自我报告与父母报告的一致性。方法采用方便抽样法,对105对5~7岁癌症患儿及其父母采用儿童生活质量普适性核心量表和儿童生活质量癌症特异性量表进行问卷调查。结果患儿自我报告生活质量与父母报告存在不一致性,父母报告得分低于患儿的频次(154次)多于患儿报告得分低于父母的频次(53次)。结论5~7岁癌症患儿自我报告具有一定的可行性,但患儿与父母的报告存在不一致性,需充分考虑影响报告一致性的可能因素,合理应用患者报告结局帮助患儿和家庭主动关注疾病和治疗所带来的反应。     

年轻乳腺癌患者生育力保存现状与临床应对策略

尽管抗癌治疗可以提高年轻乳腺癌患者长期生存率,但也可能导致生育力降低。随着我国乳腺癌发病年轻化,年轻乳腺癌患者的生育需求获得更多关注,适用于癌症患者的生育力保存技术不断发展。但目前我国年轻乳腺癌患者生育力保存的实施仍然存在很多问题:患者和乳腺外科医师对生育力保存技术认识不足,且态度保守;治疗过程中缺少生殖科专家的意见;对保存生育力患者的长期随访和信息管理不完善等。为改善上述现状,首先应提高医师对生育力保存的了解,包括相关技术的进展和适用人群、介入时机,以及癌症治疗结束后何时妊娠、如何妊娠等;其次要加强对患者进行生育力保存相关的宣教,特别是癌症治疗期间科学避孕方法和意外怀孕的处理;最后,医院和相关单位应完善和规范乳腺癌多学科团队诊疗,加强年轻乳腺癌患者的综合管理,从而为年轻乳腺癌患者提供更科学的肿瘤治疗方案和更多的生育机会。     

Successful sperm extraction and live birth after radiation,androgen deprivation and surgical castration for treatment of metastatic prostate cancer

Fertility preservation has become an important aspect of cancer treatment given the gonadotoxic effects of oncologic therapies. It is now considered standard of care to offer sperm banking to men undergoing treatment for primaries that affect young individuals. Less is known regarding fertility preservation of patients afflicted with prostate cancer. This cohort has progressively expanded and grown younger in the post‐PSA era. Prostatectomy, radiation, chemotherapy and androgen blockade all pose unique challenges to the infertility specialist. Optimum management becomes even more uncertain for those men with metastatic prostate cancer. Most of these individuals will have received multiple forms of therapy, each carrying a distinct insult to the patient's reproductive potential. We describe a case of successful ex vivo sperm extraction and live birth in a patient previously treated with radiation and chronic androgen deprivation for metastatic prostate cancer. The presented case demonstrates that conception after radiation therapy and chronic androgen deprivation is feasible. We propose that fertility counselling and sperm cryopreservation should be considered for all prostate cancer patients. Additionally, for those individuals undergoing external beam radiotherapy, testicular shielding should be routinely offered in the event further family building is desired.     

Contemporary and future insights into fertility preservation in male cancer patients

In recent years, survival rates of cancer patients have increased, resulting in a shift of focus from quantity to quality of life. A key aspect of quality of life is fertility potential; patients suffering from iatrogenic infertility often become depressed. Since many cancer therapies—chemotherapy, radiotherapy and/or surgery—and even cancer itself have detrimental effects on the male reproductive system, it is important to preserve fertility before any treatment commences. Currently, the only reliable method of male fertility preservation is sperm banking. For patients who are unable to provide semen samples by the conventional method of masturbation, there are other techniques such as electroejaculation, microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration and testicular sperm extraction that can be employed. Unfortunately, it is presently impossible to preserve the fertility potential of pre-pubertal patients. Due to the increasing numbers of adolescent cancer patients surviving treatment, extensive research is being conducted into several possible methods such as testicular tissue cryopreservation, xenografting, in vitro gamete maturation and even the creation of artificial gametes. However, in spite of its ease, safety, convenience and many accompanying benefits, sperm banking remains underutilized in cancer patients. There are several barriers involved such as the lack of information and the urgency to begin treatment, but various measures can be put in place to overcome these barriers so that sperm banking can be more widely utilized.     

Strategies for fertility preservation in young early breast cancer patients

Diagnosis of breast cancer in young women poses a threat to fertility. Due to a recent trend of delaying pregnancy, an increasing number of breast cancer patients in reproductive age wish to bear children. Health care providers have the responsibility to know how to manage fertility issues in cancer survivors. Oncofertility counseling is of great importance to many young women diagnosed with cancer and should be managed in a multi-disciplinary background. Most of young breast cancer patients are candidate to receive chemotherapy, which could lead to premature ovarian failure. A baseline evaluation of ovarian reserve may help in considering the different fertility preservation options. The choice of the suitable strategy depends also on age, type of chemotherapy, partner status and patients' motivation. Various options are available, some established such as embryo and oocyte cryopreservation, some still experimental such as ovarian tissue cryopreservation and ovarian suppression with GnRHa during chemotherapy. An early referral to a reproductive specialist should be offered to patients at risk of infertility who are interested in fertility preservation.     

Male infertility in cancer patients: Review of the literature

The number of men surviving cancer at a young age has increased dramatically in the past 20 years as a result of early detection and improved cancer treatment protocols; more than 75% of young cancer patients nowadays are long‐term survivors. Quality of life has become an important issue in childhood and adult cancer patients. The commonest cancers in patients of reproductive age are leukaemia, Hodgkin's lymphomas and testicular germ cell tumors. Fertility is often impaired after chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Cryopreservation of semen before cancer treatment starts is currently the only method to preserve future male fertility. In some malignancies, especially in germ cell tumors, sperm quality is already abnormal at the time of diagnosis. In approximately 12% of men, no viable spermatozoa are present for cryopreservation before the start of chemotherapy. Cytotoxic therapy influences spermatogenesis at least temporarily and in some cases permanently. The amount of damage inflicted by chemotherapy on spermatogenesis depends on the combination of drugs used and on the cumulative dose given for cancer treatment. Alkylating agents, such as cyclophosphamide and procarbazine, are most detrimental to germ cells. Radiation therapy, especially whole‐body irradiation, is also associated with the risk of permanent sterility. Besides the cancer treatment, tumor type and pretreatment fertility are of prognostic value for future fertility in male cancer survivors. After cancer treatment, many men need artificial reproductive techniques to achieve fatherhood; usually in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is indicated for successful treatment. About 15% of men will use their cryopreserved semen because of persistent azoospermia after cancer treatment. Treatment results with cryopreserved semen are generally good and comparable to general IVF and ICSI results. So far, no studies have reported an increased rate of congenital abnormalities or malignancies in children born from fathers who had cancer treatment is the past, but close follow up is warranted, especially in children born after IVF/ICSI.     

年轻女性早期乳腺癌病人生育相关调查研究

目的 了解年轻女性乳腺癌病人的生育现状。 方法 以2018年11月至2021年1月在复旦大学附属妇产科医院乳腺外科门诊就诊的226例女性乳腺癌病人为研究对象,采用问卷调查对病人年龄、婚姻状况、生育史、生育计划及生育力保存等资料进行观察分析。 结果 226例病人中,≤40岁且无远处转移者占63.27%（143/226）,143例病人中,未婚未育乳腺癌病人更倾向于有生育意愿。年龄、婚姻状况、生育史、乳腺癌分子分型是乳腺癌诊断时“是否与医师讨论生育功能保留问题”、“是否担心药物治疗会影响生育功能”、“是否与医师讨论改变药物治疗方案”、“是否采取生育功能保留措施”的关键影响因素（P值均＜0.05）。 结论 未婚未育的年轻女性乳腺癌病人有更高的生育需求,乳腺外科医师要增加对癌症病人生育力保存的知识储备,抗癌治疗前充分了解病人的生育需求,及时启动乳腺癌病人生育力保存的多学科诊疗。     

Is surgery always indicated in older women with breast cancer?

Although surgery has long been considered the main form of curative treatment for breast cancer, its use in older women may not always be indicated. Whilst surgery has been shown to provide superior local control for breast cancer, there is conflicting evidence on whether surgery offers a significant improvement on overall survival in these patients. The more indolent tumour biology commonly seen in older women with breast cancer, coupled with competing causes of death may alter the goals of treatment. The differing needs of older patients should be thoroughly assessed to consider their comorbidities, functional status and quality of life. A comprehensive geriatric assessment and quality of life assessment could identify pretreatment risk factors and guide clinical decision making, improving morbidity and prognosis. Alternatives to surgery include primary endocrine therapy and primary radiotherapy. Further research is required to identify different patient or tumour factors which can be used to individualize treatment for breast cancer in older women and to develop holistic assessment tools which take into account their individual quality of life, geriatric syndromes and functional needs. A dedicated multidisciplinary-led clinic may provide a suitable platform for the assessment, review and management of this distinctive set of patients.     

Gonadal damage and options for fertility preservation in female and male cancer survivors

It is estimated that in 2010,1 in every 250 adults will be a childhood cancer survivor.Today,oncological surgery,radiotherapy and chemotherapy achieve relatively high rates of remission and long-term survival,yet are often detri-mental to fertility.Quality of life is increasingly important to long-term survivors of cancer,and one of the majorquality-of-life issues is the ability to produce and raise normal children.Developments in the near future in theemerging field of fertility preservation in cancer survivors promise to be very exciting.This article reviews thepublished literature,discusses the effects of cancer treatment on fertility and presents the options available todaythanks to advances in assisted-reproduction technology for maintaining fertility in male and female patients undergo-ing this type of treatment.The various diagnostic methods of assessing the fertility potential and the efficacy of invitro fertilization(IVF)after cancer treatment are also presented.(Asian J Androl 2006 Sep;8:515-533 )     

Predictors of sperm recovery after cryopreservation in testicular cancer

Our objective was to identify predictors of improved postthaw semen quality in men with testicular cancer banking sperm for fertility preservation. We reviewed 173 individual semen samples provided by 67 men with testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) who cryopreserved sperm before gonadotoxic treatment between 1994 and 2010 at our tertiary university medical center. Our main outcomes measures were independent predictors for the greater postthaw total motile count (TMC) in men with TGCT. Men with NSGCT were more likely to be younger (P < 0.01) and had high cancer stage (II or III, P < 0.01) compared with men with seminoma. In our multiple regression model, NSGCT histology, use of density gradient purification, and fresh TMC > median fresh TMC each had increased odds of a postthaw TMC greater than median postthaw TMC. Interestingly, age, advanced cancer stage (II or III), rapid freezing protocol, and motility enhancer did not show increased odds of improved postthaw TMC in our models. In conclusion, men with TGCT or poor fresh TMC should consider preserving additional vials (at least 15 vials) before oncologic treatment. Density gradient purification should be routinely used to optimize postthaw TMC in men with TGCT. Larger, randomized studies evaluating cancer stage and various cryopreservation techniques are needed to assist in counseling men with TGCT regarding fertility preservation and optimizing cryosurvival.     

Desire for a Child and Breast Cancer

About 10% of breast cancers occur in women who are younger than 40 years of age. For many of them, the breast cancer diagnosis will occur when they are still planning pregnancy. Most breast cancers are diagnosed at an early stage of the disease, i.e. stage I or II, which is associated with a high survival rate (5 years-survival ranging between 97% and 79% respectively) (1). Many of these patients will use adjuvant endocrine therapy. This treatment has no direct impact on their fertility, but postpones a possible pregnancy, since pregnancy is contra-indicated during Tamoxifen treatment. On the other hand, chemotherapy increases the risk of premature ovarian failure, of early menopause, and of definitive sterility. This may result in an increased risk of depression and impaired quality of life. Furthermore, those women who remain fertile will often be advised to avoid pregnancy in the near future, in order to ensure the absence of breast cancer recurrence. Nevertheless, fertility decreases with age. Possible strategies, which permit optimal treatment of breast cancer and maintain the possibility of pregnancy, should be systematically discussed with the patient as soon as possible during treatment planning (2). Gynecologists and surgeons should encourage such patients to participate in multi-center studies evaluating strategies to preserve their fertility. Life continues after cancer; the prospect of pregnancy and child birth are part of a positive project.     

Desire for a child and breast cancer

About 10% of breast cancers occur in women who are younger than 40 years of age. For many of them, the breast cancer diagnosis will occur when they are still planning pregnancy. Most breast cancers are diagnosed at an early stage of the disease, i.e. stage I or II, which is associated with a high survival rate (5 years-survival ranging between 97% and 79% respectively) (1). Many of these patients will use adjuvant endocrine therapy. This treatment has no direct impact on their fertility, but postpones a possible pregnancy, since pregnancy is contra-indicated during Tamoxifen treatment. On the other hand, chemotherapy increases the risk of premature ovarian failure, of early menopause, and of definitive sterility. This may result in an increased risk of depression and impaired quality of life. Furthermore, those women who remain fertile will often be advised to avoid pregnancy in the near future, in order to ensure the absence of breast cancer recurrence. Nevertheless, fertility decreases with age. Possible strategies, which permit optimal treatment of breast cancer and maintain the possibility of pregnancy, should be systematically discussed with the patient as soon as possible during treatment planning (2). Gynecologists and surgeons should encourage such patients to participate in multi-center studies evaluating strategies to preserve their fertility. Life continues after cancer; the prospect of pregnancy and child birth are part of a positive project.