title: Strategies for fertility preservation in young early breast cancer patients.
abstract: Diagnosis of breast cancer in young women poses a threat to fertility. Due to a recent trend of delaying pregnancy, an increasing number of breast cancer patients in reproductive age wish to bear children. Health care providers have the responsibility to know how to manage fertility issues in cancer survivors. Oncofertility counseling is of great importance to many young women diagnosed with cancer and should be managed in a multi-disciplinary background. Most of young breast cancer patients are candidate to receive chemotherapy, which could lead to premature ovarian failure. A baseline evaluation of ovarian reserve may help in considering the different fertility preservation options. The choice of the suitable strategy depends also on age, type of chemotherapy, partner status and patients' motivation. Various options are available, some established such as embryo and oocyte cryopreservation, some still experimental such as ovarian tissue cryopreservation and ovarian suppression with GnRHa during chemotherapy. An early referral to a reproductive specialist should be offered to patients at risk of infertility who are interested in fertility preservation.
authors.affiliation: Academic Division of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Mauriziano Hospital "Umberto I", University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Fertility and Pregnancy Unit, Medical Gynecologic Oncology Division, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tomasi-Cont
authors.affiliation: U.O. Oncologia Medica 2, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy. Electronic address: matteo.lambertini@hsanmartino.it.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lambertini
authors.affiliation: Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Center, University Hospitals Leuven and Department of Oncology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hulsbosch
authors.affiliation: Fertility and Pregnancy Unit, Medical Gynecologic Oncology Division, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro Fedro
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Peccatori
authors.affiliation: Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Center, University Hospitals Leuven and Department of Oncology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amant
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D059247:Fertility Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018579:Patient Selection; D016649:Primary Ovarian Insufficiency / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Breast cancer; Chemotherapy-induced gonadotoxicity; Fertility preservation; Reproductive age