Newsweek Examines Emerging Field Of Oncofertility

Main Category: Fertility
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 01 Aug 2008 - 8:00 PST

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Newsweek recently examined the "bourgeoning world of oncofertility," which specializes in assisted reproduction for women who are undergoing radiation or chemotherapy. The article has been posted online and will be in the magazine's Aug. 4 issue. According to Newsweek, increasing cancer survival rates are causing patients to focus more on "quality-of-life issues," such as fertility, and are causing the "two very different medical specialties" of oncology and assisted reproduction to "come together." There are now at least 50 centers that provide oncofertility services, and more oncologists are beginning to acknowledge, and, in some cases, alter treatment to aid fertility.

Of the 125,000 people under age 45 diagnosed with cancer annually, about 50% will receive treatments that will affect their fertility, Newsweek reports. The cancers that are most prevalent among younger people -- including leukemias, lymphomas and breast cancers -- require "some of the most toxic forms of chemotherapy, which target rapidly growing and fragile cells," including sperm and eggs, according to Newsweek. The "good news" is that patients who would like to have children "have a growing array of options," such as freezing eggs, ovarian tissue or embryos, Newsweek reports.

Nancy Lin, an oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, said that assisted reproduction among cancer patients is "being talked about more." She added, "There's a growing awareness among doctors, and patients are more proactive." Teresa Woodruff of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine -- who received a $21 million NIH grant last year to develop ways to protect cancer patients' reproductive health -- said, "The narrative of cancer is no longer that it's a death sentence; it's a bump in your medical history that you overcome and go back to what we hope is a healthy lifestyle" (Kuchment, Newsweek, 8/4).

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