ecancermedicalscience

Review

Fertility preservation is an imperative goal in the clinical practice of radiation oncology: a narrative review

2 Nov 2022
Yumna Ahmed, Agha Muhammad Hammad Khan, Urooba Jawwad Rao, Fatima Shaukat, Arhum Jamil, Syed Mohammad Hasan, Sehrish Abrar, Bilal Mazhar Qureshi, Ahmed Nadeem Abbasi

With reduced cancer mortality in recent years, increased efforts must be put into safeguarding cancer survivors’ long-term quality of life (QOL). Fertility preservation is recognised as a key component of QOL in survivorship. Concerns about fertility have been seen to significantly impact cancer patients’ emotional and mental health as, generally, both malignancy and its treatment may cause a temporary or permanent reduction in infertility. This article reviews the primary effects of radiation therapy on male and female gonads and has further highlighted procedures through which the functioning of these organs can be protected before or during radiation treatment. We have also emphasised the importance of the establishment of multidisciplinary tumour boards and patient education regarding future reproductive function which is an important component of the care of individuals with cancer. This article highlights that infertility is a persistent and major concern that can add to long-term stress in cancer survivors, and education about fertility preservation before the initiation of any treatment is especially important.

Related Articles

Abeir El-Mogassabi, Heithum Saleh Baiu, Nadin Omer Hassan, Enas Mohamed Salem, Lugien Elshakmak, Khalil A K Tamoos, Mohammed Zidan, Asma Rajab Ben Rashid, Ala Elhoudiri, Sama Elmehdawi, Dania Shareia
Md Foorquan Hashmi, Fiza Khan, Elen Baloyan, Liana Safaryan, Davit Zohrabyan, Gevorg Tamamyan, Samvel Bardakhchyan
Aditi Dwivedi, Badira Cheriyalinkal Parambil, Venkata Rama Mohan Gollamudi, Maya Prasad, Siddhartha Laskar, Nehal Khanna, Jifmi Jose Manjali, Ajay Puri, Sajid Qureshi, Prakash Nayak, Manish Pruthi, Sneha Shah, Mukta Ramadwar, Poonam Panjwani, Vasundara Patel, Akshay Baheti, Girish Chinnaswamy
Marco Aurélio Bertúlio das Neves, Noemi Dreyer Galvão, Fernanda Cristina da Silva de Lima, Júlio Fernando Pinto Oliveria, Sancho Pedro Xavier, Ageo Mário Cândido da Silva
Carlos Gómez Calcetero, Juanita Granados Diaz, Adriana Aya Porto, Andres Forero Romero, Maria López Mora, Paola Omaña Orduz, Jorge Daza Buitrago, Maira Murcia Linares, Viriginia Abello Polo