title: Maintaining the reproductive potential of cancer patients during cancer treatment.
abstract: Cancer therapies are known to alter the reproductive potential in cancer patients. Due to improved survival rates in cancer patients of reproductive age, considerations of the long-term effects of cancer therapy have become more significant. Oncofertility is a new discipline in medicine that deals with maintaining the reproductive potential of cancer patients while they are receiving gonadotoxic cancer treatment. The purpose of this review is to explore how cancer treatment impairs reproductive functioning and present the current options for preservation of fertility in women. All patients with reproductive potential should be made aware of the possible treatment-related infertility and be offered appropriate fertility preservation options before cancer treatment is instituted. The hope is that, in the future, mechanism(s) can be developed to preserve immature germ cells in the ovary, so that they can be used for fertilization in vivo or in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Drive, S.W., Atlanta, GA 30310.
authors.forename: Djana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Harp
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Drive, S.W., Atlanta, GA 30310.
authors.forename: Indrajit
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chowdhury
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Research Institute, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30310.
authors.forename: Minerva
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garcia-Barrio
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Drive, S.W., Atlanta, GA 30310.
authors.forename: Crystal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Welch
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Drive, S.W., Atlanta, GA 30310.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Drive, S.W., Atlanta, GA 30310.
authors.forename: Winston
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D059247:Fertility Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*