By: Lauren Ataman-Millhouse -
At this year’s Oncofertility Conference, we are honored that Dr. Lillian Meacham will deliver the day 2 keynote on November 14. Dr. Meacham is is a pediatric endocrinologist and the Kathleen V. Amos Children’s Chair for Cancer Survivorship in the Aflac Cancer Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Below is more information about her keynote:
Infertility is a top long term health worry for many adolescent young adult survivors of pediatric cancer. Studies show that over 1/3 of survivors have incorrect perceptions of their personal risk for infertility and it goes both ways: those at risk do not think they are and those not at risk believe themselves to be at risk for infertility. Communicating personal risk for infertility is challenging given the patients age and developmental stage at time points when this information is typically shared: diagnosis, end of therapy and entry into survivorcare. Dr. Meacham will present results of a study “Addressing Infertility Related Knowledge Gaps and Needs of Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Survivors of Childhood Cancer” and provide suggestions on how to implement this methodology in clinical settings.