Beyond fertility preservation: role of the oncofertility unit in the reproductive and gynecological follow-up of young cancer patients

AbstractSTUDY QUESTIONAre there reasons that motivate young cancer survivors to ask for follow-up visits at an oncofertility unit?SUMMARY ANSWERCancer survivors request oncofertility follow-up visits for the management of treatment-related side effects or ovarian reserve evaluation, even if not (or not yet) wishing for a pregnancy.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYPersonalised oncofertility counselling before gonadotoxic therapies is considered standard of care for young women with newly diagnosed cancer. However, the long-term follow-up of these patients in an oncofertility unit is not described in the literature other than for the use of cryopreserved material.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONWe retrospectively examined rates and reasons for the first follow-up visits of 154 consecutive young female cancer patients (age range: 18 –40 years) who underwent a pre-treatment consultation between January 2012 and June 2017. Demographic and clinical data were collected, as well as information about the chosen fertility preservation method, if any.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSRates and reasons for follow-up visits were collected and expressed as percentages. Different reasons were examined in the whole cohort and stratified for type of malignancy. Possible predictive factors for return to the follow-up visit (age, nulliparity, presence of a partner, neoplasm, having cryopreserved material) were investigated through logistic regression.MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCEOut of 154 patie...
Source: Human Reproduction - Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: research