Breast Cancer and Fertility Preservation

Overview

Journal Fertil Steril

Specialty Reproductive Medicine

Date 2011 Jan 29

PMID 21272867

Citations 21

Authors

S Samuel Kim

Jennifer Klemp

Carol Fabian

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To review the benefits of adjuvant systemic therapy given to women with breast cancer of reproductive age, its effects on fertility, and options for fertility preservation.

Design: Publications relevant to fertility preservation and breast cancer were identified through a PubMed database search.

Conclusion(s): Most women who develop invasive breast cancer under age 40 will be advised to undergo adjuvant chemotherapy with or without extended antihormonal therapy to reduce the risk of recurrence and death from breast cancer. Adjuvant chemotherapy particularly with alkylating agents such as cyclophosphamide is gonadotoxic and markedly accelerates the rate of age-related ovarian follicle loss. Although loss of fertility is an important issue for young cancer survivors, there is often little discussion about fertility preservation before initiation of adjuvant therapy. Greater familiarity with prognosis and effects of different types of adjuvant therapy on the part of infertility specialists and fertility preservation options such cryopreservation of embryos, oocytes, and ovarian tissue on the part of oncologists would facilitate these discussions. Establishment of rapid fertility consultation links within cancer survivorship programs can help ensure that every young woman who is likely to undergo gonadotoxic cancer treatment is counseled about the effects of therapy and options available to her to increase the likelihood of childbearing after cancer treatment.

Citing Articles

Oocyte vitrification for oncological and social reasons.

Koroglu N, Aydin T Turk J Obstet Gynecol. 2023; 20(1):59-63.

PMID: 36908095 PMC: 10013077. DOI: 10.4274/tjod.galenos.2022.59827.

Irinotecan (CPT-11) Treatment Induces Mild Gonadotoxicity.

Levi M, Ben-Aharon I, Shalgi R Front Reprod Health. 2022; 4:812053.

PMID: 36303648 PMC: 9580821. DOI: 10.3389/frph.2022.812053.

Fertility preservation in patients of childbearing age treated for breast cancer: A nationwide cohort study.

Duraes M, Rathat G, Bringer-Deutsch S, Ranisavljevic N, Brouillet S, Defez-Fougeron C Breast. 2022; 64:121-126.

PMID: 35661841 PMC: 9163100. DOI: 10.1016/j.breast.2022.05.006.

Anti-HER2/neu Antibody Reduces Chemotherapy-Induced Ovarian Toxicity-From Bench to Bedside.

Levi M, Goshen-Lago T, Yerushalmi R, Granot T, Stemmer S, Shalgi R Biomedicines. 2020; 8(12).

PMID: 33297351 PMC: 7762209. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines8120577.

Fertility preservation before neoadjuvant chemotherapy in a premenopausal breast cancer patient: a case report.

Kobayashi A, Matsunuma R, Yamaguchi K, Hayami R, Tsuneizumi M, Nakagami K Oxf Med Case Reports. 2019; 2019(11):473-475.

PMID: 31844530 PMC: 6902622. DOI: 10.1093/omcr/omz114.

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