Fertility on ice: an overview of fertility preservation for children and adolescents with cancer

AbstractKey content Continued advances in oncology treatments have led to better survival rates for children and young adults with cancer. An important ‘late effect’ of cancer treatment is the loss of fertility. Although many survivors of childhood cancers go on to conceive without difficulty, the potential loss of fertility is a concern for children and young adults with cancer, their parents and caregivers. We review current options for fertility preservation (FP) for prepubertal and postpubertal girls and boys, including oocyte cryopreservation, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, sperm cryopreservation and testicular tissue cryopreservation.Learning objectives To understand the different fertility preservation methods available for children and adolescents, the barriers to fertility preservation and ethical and psychological considerations To raise awareness of the importance of early discussions about fertility preservation with patients who are at risk of infertility from their cancer treatment.Ethical Issues Autotransplantation of ovarian tissue in survivors of haematological malignancies, particularly leukaemia, carries a strong risk of re-introducing the malignancy and should be avoided. Clinicians must consider suitability of the patient for FP, taking into account emotional maturity, patient and parent desire for FP and the physical fitness of the patient, including their immunosuppressive state.
Source: The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist - Category: OBGYN Authors: Tags: REVIEWS Source Type: research