title: Fertility preservation practices in pediatric and adolescent cancer patients undergoing HSCT in Europe: a population-based survey.
abstract: Chemotherapy and irradiation can affect the gonads, leading to impairment of pubertal development and/or infertility. Fertility preservation (FP) is therefore a crucial endeavor in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) because of the severe impact of infertility on the quality of life of long-term survivors. Despite the existence of different international guidelines, FP counseling and procedures are not routinely implemented as part of patient care. We present herein a survey conducted by the Pediatric Working Party of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), which aims to analyze and compare different FP practices for children and adolescents across EBMT centers in 2013. A total of 177 pediatric centers reporting to the EBMT were contacted; of this number, 38 centers (21%) located in 16 different countries responded. These centers reported 834 patients receiving HSCT in 2013 (73% prepubertal), corresponding to 22% of all children (n=3789) undergoing HSCT in EBMT reporting centers. Overall, 39% of the reported patients received counseling and 29% received an FP procedure. The increased need for FP programs, extended education for patient-care teams, and more personal resources and funding emerged from this survey as pivotal factors necessary to support and implement such programs.
authors.affiliation: Division of Oncology/Hematology, University Children's Hospital Basel UKBB, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Diesch
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rovo
authors.affiliation: Division of Oncology/Hematology, University Children's Hospital Basel UKBB, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: von der Weid
authors.affiliation: Division of Oncology/Hematology, HSCT Unit, Gaslini Research Institute G. Gaslini, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Faraci
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pillon
authors.affiliation: EBMT Pediatric Disease Working Party, Paris, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dalissier
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Hematology Immunology, Robert Debre Hospital, Paris, France.
authors.forename: J-H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Dalle
authors.affiliation: Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunology, Hospital for Children and Adolescents of Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bader
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D064591:Allografts; D002648:Child; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male