Patients interested in or uncertain about fertility preservation should be referred to reproductive specialists
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, April 10, 2025 (HealthDay News) — In a special article published online March 19 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology presents updated recommendations for fertility preservation (FP) in people with cancer.
H. Irene Su, M.D., from the University of California in San Diego, and colleagues updated the systematic review to provide the latest recommendations for FP in people with cancer. The evidence base included 166 studies.
The authors recommended that people with cancer should be assessed for and counseled about reproductive risks at diagnosis and during survivorship. Referral to reproductive specialists should be offered to patients interested in or uncertain about FP. Discussion of FP approaches should take place before cancer-directed therapy. Male patients should be offered sperm cryopreservation before cancer-directed treatment; if unable to provide semen samples, testicular sperm extraction should take place. In prepubertal males, testicular tissue cryopreservation is experimental and should only be offered in clinical trials. Male patients should be advised regarding the potential for higher genetic damage risks in sperm collected soon after initiation and completion of cancer-directed therapy. Established FP methods should be offered to female patients, including embryo, oocyte, and ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC), ovarian transposition, and conservative gynecologic surgery. In vitro maturation of oocytes is an emerging method that may be offered. People who did not undergo pretreatment FP or cryopreserve enough oocytes or embryos can be offered posttreatment FP. In children who have begun puberty, established FP methods should be offered with patient assent and parent/guardian consent. For prepubertal females, the only established method is OTC.
“Reproductive care should be part of the standard care of all oncology patients,” the authors write. “Clinicians should advocate for comprehensive FP services coverage and help patients access benefits.”
Some of the expert panel disclosed ties to relevant organizations.
Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
