Therapieoptionen bei karzinomerkrankten Frauen mit Kinderwunsch

As oncologic treatment grows more successful, the longevity of affected patients also increases. This in turn demands increased attention to long-term complications resulting from that treatment, including loss of ovary function and fertility resulting from cytostatically-induced gonadotoxicity. Many new options for retaining fertility are available, some of them still best classified as experimental; their number has especially increased of late. One example is transposition of the ovaries out of the radiation field before isolated radiotherapy. Oocytes, fertilized ova, embryos, and ovarial tissue can now be conserved cryogenically. Also, GnRH analogs can protect the gonads. Some of the options, including cryoconservation of embryos, are not legal in Germany. Many technical questions still require clarification, as do details of reimbursement. Nonetheless the ability to become pregnant despite tumor-specific therapy has come to assume great importance. This is reflected by the new German network called FertiPROTEKT which makes available on a national basis methods for preserving fertility.