Dr. Jackie Jeruss, a breast surgical oncologists and one of the founding oncology members in the Oncofertility Consortium, co-authored a paper with me in the New England Journal of Medicine. This paper is titled, Preservation of Fertility in Patients with Cancer (NEJM, 2009; 360:902-911. This paper outlines the roles that oncologists play in the diagnosis of disease, the development of a treatment strategy and in the presentation of the fertility risks associated with treatment and ways to spare fertility.
Oncologists often find themselves struggling with the real and present dangers associated with a new cancer diagnosis. Finding the time and mental resources to talk about survivorship issues is a difficult but not insurmountable task. On the other side of the equation, reproductive endocrinologists are rarely equipped to address the emergency needs of a cancer patients for either hormone stimulation of tissue harvest. The goal of the Oncofertility Consortium is to provide a range of navigational tools that can assist in the management of complex young cancer patients.
In a webinar on Tuesday, Dr. Jeruss and I will talk about the issues facing practitioners and give pratical steps that can facilitate the development of a multidisciplinary Oncofertility Program that can turn young cancer patients into parents.
Information on the webinar can be found at: http://oncofertility.northwestern.edu/events/webinars
