Oncofertility: What can we do from bench to bedside?

• Published in: Cancer letters Vol. 442; pp. 148 - 160
• Main Authors: Zhao, Hua, Jin, Lei, Li, Yufeng, Zhang, Cuilian, Wang, Renjie, Li, Yuehan, Huang, Weiming, Cui, Chenchen, Zhang, Hanwang, Wang, Hui, Ma, Ding, Liao, Shujie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 01-02-2019; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Age; Breast cancer; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Chemotherapy; Children; Clinical medicine; Conservation; Consultation; Continuous improvement; Counseling; Embryo cryopreservation; Embryos; Female fertility preservation; Fertility; Infertility; Lymphoma; Male fertility preservation; Medical personnel; Medical treatment; Medicine; Patients; Preservation; Quality of life; Radiation therapy; Remission; Reproductive health; Stem cells; Surgery; Therapeutic applications; Tumors; Womens health; Young adults; China; Embryo cryopreservation; Female fertility preservation; Male fertility preservation; Cancer
• ISSN: 0304-3835; 1872-7980
• DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2018.10.023

Continuous improvement in diagnosis and treatment has significantly increased the survival of cancer patients. Treatments for neoplastic disease, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery or combined therapy with the above methods, may lead to premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) or substantial male germ cell loss. For the patients it is a seriously double whammy. Therefore, reproductive medicine experts strongly suggest that all young patients diagnosed with a malignant tumor should immediately undergo a consultation with suggestions for fertility and endocrine function protection and preservation. Here, we discuss the background knowledge, methods, indications, pros and cons, and experimental and clinical applications of fertility preservation, and new strategies for future fertility conservation to help physicians, especially oncologist, pediatrician, hematologist, and surgeons, become aware of the concepts, methods, and importance of fertility and endocrine function protection. We also hope to help doctors develop novel personalized strategies for fertility conservation according to patients’ own conditions, tumor types, treatment methods, recurrence rate and so on. This review focuses on changing and enhancing the fertility preservation idea, further investigations in clinical and translational medicine will help ensure the development of novel personalized treatments, to help cancer patients have healthy children or maintain endocrine function once they are in remission. This is just the ultimate dream of oncofertility.
•Research advances and clinical application in oncofertility.•Reproductive preservation and related health education, counseling and strategies for tumor patients.•Bridging the contact in tumor therapy with fertility preservation.•Innovation traditional ideas---tumor patients not only need cure tumor itself but also require fertility rights.