title: Ethical Barriers in Adolescent Oncofertility Counseling.
abstract: Adult survivors of pediatric cancers are at substantial risk for infertility. Oncofertility is an emerging field in medicine that has focused on the fertility preservation of these patients. As the field continues to develop, there are several areas in which our practice has improved. However, several ethical concerns still exist involving beneficence, nonmaleficence, informed consent, adolescent assent, and posthumous use of reproductive tissues. Because the field is still developing, great disparities exist in available options depending on age, ability to pay, and geographic location. Such discrepancies in access may lead to health disparities in the adolescent patient population. As the science continues to make future fertility more feasible, the ethical questions will continue to be more complex. The purpose of this article is to review some of the developments regarding oncoferility and address future directions for research and inquiry in specific areas.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine †Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health ∥Charles Warren Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics §Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN ‡Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA.
authors.forename: Daniel V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Runco
authors.forename: Julia F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Helft
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D026686:Beneficence; D003376:Counseling; D003657:Decision Making; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D059247:Fertility Preservation / Q000941:ethics* / Q000523:psychology; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D007258:Informed Consent; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D037022:Posthumous Conception / Q000941:ethics; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012944:Social Support; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D020458:Third-Party Consent