Reproduction beyond cancer: a message of hope for young women.
OBJECTIVE
Aggressive chemotherapy and radiotherapy or radical oncological surgery in young women with cancer has greatly enhanced these patients' life expectancy, but these treatments often cause infertility or premature ovarian failure due to a massive destruction of the ovarian reserve. The objective of this review is to discuss the effect of the various cancer treatments on fertility and present the various fertility sparing operations and fertility preservation strategies.


METHODS
An extensive survey of the most up-to-date literature was performed.


RESULTS
This review discusses the impact of current cancer treatment on fertility potential and the various surgical and assisted-reproduction innovations available today for the most common cancers in young women. Although the ability to retain reproductive potential is becoming a major quality-of-life factor in an increasing number of young female cancer survivors, they are still being poorly counseled with regard to the negative impact of the treatment on their fertility and on their options for fertility preservation.


CONCLUSIONS
As the emerging discipline of fertility preservation is steadily attracting increasing interest, developments in the near future promise to be very exciting. However, in everyday routine work, better interdisciplinary cooperation between gynecological and pediatric oncologists, surgeons, immunologists, and endocrinologists is necessary so that individualized options for fertility preservation can be offered in advance of surgical procedures or cancer treatments.
Maltaris
Theodoros
T
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz University Hospital, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55124 Mainz, Germany. maltaris@uni-mainz.de
Boehm
Daniel
D
Dittrich
Ralf
R
Seufert
Rudolf
R
Koelbl
Heinz
H
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000517:prevention & control