Preservation of Fertility in Patients with Cancer

The unique duality involved in confronting a life-threatening diagnosis while simultaneously considering the deeply human desire to have a child presents a struggle both for patients with cancer and for clinicians. Yet with improved survival rates among young patients with cancer, recent bench to-bedside translation of new techniques to preserve fertility, and increased awareness of choices for the preservation of fertility, options for family planning are now being offered to patients who have received a diagnosis of cancer. Concerns about fertility are similar for men and women; however, their opportunities for intervention differ considerably. This review describes current and emerging options for the preservation of fertility in patients with cancer and provides a conceptual framework for managing concerns about fertility at the time of diagnosis.

Jacqueline S. Jeruss and Teresa K. Woodruff; New England J. Med. Vol 360 No 9 902-911 Feb 26 2009.