title: Update on fertility preservation in young women undergoing breast cancer and ovarian cancer therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the article is to review the available options for fertility preservation in patients with breast and ovarian cancer, and the special issues faced by BRCA mutation carriers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Future fertility is an important consideration for many young patients with cancer. There are both experimental and standard available strategies for patients with breast and ovarian cancer to preserve fertility, and each has potential advantages and disadvantages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Embryo cryopreservation is widely available with a highly successful track record. Improvements in laboratory techniques have led to oocyte cryopreservation recently being recategorized as nonexperimental. Conservative gynecologic surgery is a standard consideration for patients with stage I ovarian cancer who desire future fertility. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation as well as ovarian suppression with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogs during chemotherapy are considered experimental methods at this time, although recent data suggest both safety and efficacy for the use of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogs in women receiving (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Special issues should be considered for women with BRCA mutations because of the need to undergo preventive surgery at young age. Multidisciplinary teams and well functioning relationships between the oncology and reproductive units are crucial to manage the fertility issues of young women with cancer.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA bDepartment of Medical Oncology, U.O. Oncologia Medica 2, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Genova, Italy cCenter for Infertility and Reproductive Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lambertini
authors.forename: Elizabeth S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Ginsburg
authors.forename: Ann H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Partridge
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015925:Cryopreservation; D037001:Directive Counseling; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D005260:Female; D059247:Fertility Preservation; D019398:Genes, BRCA1; D024522:Genes, BRCA2; D013509:Gynecologic Surgical Procedures; D006801:Humans; D009865:Oocytes; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents