Oncofertility Publications

Abstract:

Resource wealth or absence defines access to many fields of science and medicine; the emerging field of oncofertility is one prime example of this resource and access dilemma. At the intersection of life and death, where life-limiting and life-producing events cross paths, the implicit contradictions of cancer and fertility have left men and women with limited choices, until recently. As the field of oncofertility expands, it was realized that many intellectual and practice based resource issues have equal or greater impact on access to care as insurance and reimbursement. Indeed, the contrasting emotions and expectations of practitioners and patients, together with a continued paucity of scientific knowledge about fertility in the cancer setting and the lack of clinical assessment of reproductive outcomes for adolescents and young adults, represent some of the boundary conditions to increase access to oncofertility. When these barriers are scaled up to the global setting, the need for advocacy and leadership from multiple organizations and individuals becomes urgent. To better understand this uniquely defined resource landscape, we conducted an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) faced by global oncofertility a SWOT analysis to better understand the current state of the field and to create multimodal interventions that may provide a roadmap for the future of this discipline.

Acknowledgments:

AUTHORED BY: Woodruff, Teresa KCampo-Engelstein, LisaAlmeida-Santos, Teresa
DOI: doi:10.18131/g3-8379-g677
GRANTS & FUNDING: This work was supported by the Center for Reproductive Health After Disease (P50HD076188) from the National Institutes of Health National Center for Translational Research in Reproduction and Infertility (NCTRI).

Source Link:

https://digitalhub.northwestern.edu/files/7f794595-230e-48a0-aee1-d92f567d09a7

Lisa Campo-Engelstein. Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol. 28, 2010.

Summary

Lisa Campo-Engelstein and Kiran Sreenivas argue that in order for cancer patients to make informed choices about fertility preservation, they should be made aware of surrogacy as an option of having biological children and the challenges that accompany this choice. They examine the availability of surrogacy to cancer patients and provide an overview of both domestic and international surrogacy laws. Finally, they discuss surrogacy tourism as an option for cancer survivors and underscore the importance of fully informing cancer patients about surrogacy, including potential legal barriers in utilizing it, before they make fertility preservation decisions prior to cancer treatment.

Sreenivas K, Campo-Engelstein L. Cancer Treatment and Research. 2010; 156: 135-52. PMID: 20811830.

Campo-Engelstein, Lisa. Cancer Treatment and Research. 2010; 156: 381-8. PMID 20811849.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:
Recent improvements in cancer detection, treatment, and technology have increased survivorship rates. These same life-saving treatments, however, can lead to infertility or sterility. Oncofertility, an emerging field at the intersection of cancer and oncology, centers on providing cancer patients with the potential to preserve their biological fertility.

METHODS:
We examine the history of how men and women have been treated for infertility and analyze contemporary studies of how women without cancer respond to infertility.

RESULTS:
Both female and male cancer patients and survivors value their fertility, although there is conflicting evidence on the degree to which women and men value fertility. Some studies have found that women and men value their fertility equally while others found that women value their fertility more than men. Gendered norms around fertility and parenthood seem to be changing, which may minimize these discrepancies. DISCUSSIONS/

CONCLUSIONS:
Although oncofertility is a nascent field, infertility is a historically relevant medical condition that is characterized by gendered narratives and norms. An analysis of the historical evolution of the understanding and treatment of infertility leads insight into modern conceptualizations of infertility both generally and in the case of cancer. Understanding these historical and current gendered influences helps to define the current context in which cancer patients are confronting potential infertility. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: The insight gained from this analysis can be used to inform clinical practice, offering guidance to healthcare providers approaching cancer patients about potential infertility, regardless of gender.

Shauna Gardino, Sarah Rodriguez, & Lisa Campo-Engelstein. Journal of Cancer Survivalship, 2010 Dec 31. [Epub ahead of print]

Co-editors Clarisa Gracia and Teresa K. Woodruff

Forward by Roger A. Lobo, MD

Part I: Fertility Risks for Cancer Patients

1. Gonadotoxicity of Cancer Therapies in Pediatric and Reproductive-Age Females by Jennifer Levine
2. Gonadotoxicity of Cancer Therapies in Pediatric and Reproductive-Age Males by Jill P. Ginsberg

Part II: Options for Preserving Fertility

1. Fertility Preservation in Males by Robert Brannigan
2. Embryo and Oocyte Banking by Lynn M. Westphal and Jamie A.M. Massie
3. Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation and Transplantation by Laxmi Kondapalli, MD, MS
4. The Role of In Vitro Maturation in Fertility Preservation by Peter S. Uzelac, Greg L. Christiansen, and Steven T. Nakajima
5. Mitigating the Risk: The Role of Ovarian Transposition and Medical Suppression by Jaime M. Knopman and Nicole Noyes

Part III: Care of the Oncofertility Patient

1. The Birds and the Bees and the Bank: Talking With Families About Future Fertility Amidst a Cancer Diagnosis by Gwendolyn P. Quinn, Caprice A. Knapp, and Devin Murphy
2. Addressing the Three Most Frequently Asked Questions of a Bioethicist in an Oncofertility Setting by Lisa Campo-Engelstein
3. Pregnancy in Cancer Survivors and Patients by Eileen Wang
4. Communication Between Oncofertility Providers and Patients by Jennifer Mersereau

Part IV: Oncofertility in Clinical Practice

1. Setting up an Oncofertility Program by H. Irene Su, Lindsay Ray, and R. Jeffery Chang
2. Patient Navigation and Coordination of Care for the Oncofertility Patient: A Practical Guide by Kristin Smith, Brenda Efymow, and Clarisa Gracia
3. Preparing an Interdisciplinary Workforce in Oncofertility – A suggested educational and research training program by Christos Coutifaris

Part V: Clinical Cases in Oncofertility and Resources

1. Clinical Cases in Oncofertility by Clarisa Gracia

Appendices – Oncofertility Resources for the Clinician by Kate E. Waimey

1. Appendix A. Sample IRB Protocol: Ovarian Tissue Freezing For Fertility Preservation In Women Facing a Fertility Threatening Medical Diagnosis Or Treatment Regimen
2. Appendix B. Sample Consent Form: Ovarian Tissue Freezing For Fertility Preservation In Adult Women Facing A Fertility Threatening Medical Diagnosis Or Treatment Regimen
3. Appendix C. Sample IRB Protocol: Oocyte Banking For Fertility Preservation In Women Facing A Fertility Threatening Medical Diagnosis Or Treatment Regimen
4. Appendix D. Sample Consent Form: Oocyte Banking For Fertility Preservation In Women Facing A Fertility Threatening Medical Diagnosis Or Treatment Regimen
5. Appendix E. Letter Template: Provider Letter of Medical Necessity for Fertility Preservation Procedures
6. Appendix F. Letter Template: Patient Letter of Appeal for Fertility Preservation Procedures Template
7. Appendix G. Updating or Establishing Your FDA Registration

By Co-editors Teresa K. Woodruff, Laurie Zoloth, Lisa Campo-Engelstein, and Sarah Rodriguez

Part I: The Science and Technology of Oncofertility

1. Reproductive Health After Cancer by Clarisa Garcia
2. Designing Follicle-Environment Interactions with Biomaterials by Rachel M. Smith, Teresa K. Woodruff, and Lonnie D. Shea
3. Gamete Preservation by Susan L. Barrett and Teresa K. Woodruff
4. To Transplant or Not to Transplant – That is the Question by Sherman J. Silber, Teresa K. Woodurff and Lonnie D. Shea
5. Clinical Cases in Oncofertility by Laxmi A. Kondapalli, Fanzhen Hong, and Clarisa R. Gracia
6. Cancer Genetics: Risks and Mechanisms of Cancer in Women with Inherited Susceptibility to Epithelial Ovarian Cancer by Lee Shulman and Jeffrey Dungan
7. Protecting and Extending the Fertility Options for Female Wildlife and Endangered Mammals by Pierre Comizzoli, David Wildt, and Nucharin Songsasen

Part II: Historical and Legal Perspectives

1. Placing the History of Oncofertility by Sarah Rodriguez
2. Medical Hope, Legal Pitfalls: Potential Legal Issues in the Emerging Field of Oncofertility by Gregory Dolin, Dorothy E. Roberts, Teresa K. Woodruff, and Lina M. Rodriguez
3. Domestic and International Surrogacy Laws: Implications for Cancer Survivors by Kiran Sreenivas and Lisa Campo-Engelstein
4. Adoption After Cancer: Adoption Agency Perspectives on the Potential to Parent Post-Cancer by Shauna Gardino, Andrew Russell, and Teresa K. Woodruff

Part III: Clinical and Theoretical Ethics

1. Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation and Bioethical Discourse by Christina L.H. Traina
2. The Lessons of Oncofertility for Assisted Reproduction by Adrienne Asch
3. Morally Justifying Oncofertility Research by Carolyn McLeod
4. Ethical Dilemmas in Oncofertility: An Exploration of Three Clinical Scenarios by Clarisa R. Gracia, Jorge J.E. Gracia, and Shasha Chen
5. Participation in Investigational Fertility Preservation Research: A Feminist Ethics Approach by Michelle L. McGowan
6. Reproductive “Choice” and Egg Freezing by Angel Petropanagos
7. The Impact of Infertility: Why ART Should Be a Higher Priority for Women in the Global South by Amanda Fleetwood and Lisa Campo-Engelstein
8. Oncofertility and Informed Consent: Addressing Beliefs, Values and Future Decision Making by Felicia Cohn

Part IV: Religious Perspectives

1. Bioethics and Oncofertility: Arguments and Insights from Religious Traditions by Laurie Zoloth and Alyssa A. Hennings
2. Sacred Bodies: Considering Resistance to Oncofertility in Muslim Communities by Rumee Ahmed
3. Unlikely Motherhood in the Qur’an: Oncofertility as Devotion by Ayesha S. Chaudry
4. Technology and Wholeness: Oncofertility and Catholic Tradition by Paul Lauritzen
5. Jewish Perspectives on Oncofertility: The Complexities of Tradition by Laurie Zoloth

Part V: Ramifications for Education and Economics

1. The Oncofertility Saturday Academy: A Paradigm to Expand the Educational Opportunities and Ambitions of High School Girls by Megan Faurot and Teresa K. Woodruff
2. MyOncofertility.org: A Web-Based Patient Education Resource Supporting Decision Making Under Severe Emotional and Cognitive Overload by Kemi Jona and Adam Gerber
3. Anticipating Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation in the Health-care Marketplace: A Willingness to Pay Assessment by Shauna L. Gardino, Andrew Sfekas, and David Dranove
4. Perspectives on Oncofertility from Demography and Economics by Rosalind King
5. For the Sake of Consistency and Fairness: Why Insurance Companies Should Cover Fertility Preservation Treatment for Iatrogenic Infertility by Lisa Campo-Engelstein

Part VI: Repercussions of Oncofertility for Patients and their Families

1. Health Care Provider Perspectives on Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients by Caprice A. Knapp and Gwen P. Quinn
2. Counseling and Consenting Women with Cancer on their Oncofertility Options: A Clinical Perspective by Emily S. Jungheim, Kenneth R. Carson, and Douglas Brown
3. The Fertility-Related Treatment Choices of Cancer Patients: Cancer-Related Infertility and Family Dynamics by Karrie Ann Synder, May Kyaw Thazin, William B. Pearse, and Mehwish Moinuddin
4. Whose Future Is It? Ethical Family Decision Making About Daughters’ Treatment in the Oncofertility Context by Marla L. Clayman and Kathleen M. Galvin
5. Choosing Life when Facing Death: Understanding Fertility Preservation Decision-Making for Cancer Patients by Shauna L. Gardino and Linda L. Emanuel

Part VII: Health Care Provider Stories and Final Thoughts

1. Discussing Fertility Preservation with Breast Cancer Patients by Jackie S. Jeruss
2. Warning: Google can be Hazardous to Your Health: Fertility Preservation Is an Important Part of Cancer Care by Jennifer Hirschfield-Cytron
3. The Role of a Patient Navigator in Fertility Preservation by Jill Scott-Trainer
4. Judaism and Reproductive Technology by Sherman J. Silber
5. Reading Between the Lines of Cancer & Fertility: A Provider’s Story by Leonard S. Sender
6. A Rewarding Experience for a Pediatric Urologist by Margarett Shnorhavorian
7. Final Thoughts by Laurie Zoloth