Abstract
Background
It is well known that chemotherapy for adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer can reduce fertility regardless of the regimen. A decline in fertility greatly affects the quality of life of cancer survivors in the AYA age group; however, few patients are thought to be receiving fertility preservation measures.
Methods
A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the current understanding and consideration of fertility among otorhinolaryngologists/head and neck surgeons who treat AYA patients with cancer, and to inform them of the guidelines for fertility preservation. A total of 275 otorhinolaryngologists/head and neck surgeons working at our hospital in Ehime, Japan, six neighboring universities, and their affiliated facilities were included in this study. The questionnaire was mailed and requested to be returned by fax. Twenty questions were asked about respondents’ years of experience as physicians, specialties, experience in medical care and chemotherapy for AYA patients with cancer, and knowledge and experience in fertility reduction measures.
Results
Although 58.7% of the physicians were aware that cryopreservation of eggs and sperm prior to chemotherapy was recommended, only 7 out of 40 physicians (17.5%) had referred AYA patients with cancer to an appropriate medical facility (department) after obtaining informed consent for chemotherapy.
Conclusions
Although fertility preservation has been discussed at professional conferences and seminars, consideration and actions in the field of otorhinolaryngology/head and neck surgery have not been sufficient. We hope that the results of this survey will help raise awareness of fertility preservation.
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Acknowledgements
We express our sincere thanks to Professor Hirotaka Hara of Kawasaki Medical School, Professor Yukio Takeno and Dr. Tsutomu Ueda of Hiroshima University, Director Masashi Sakagami of Hyogo Medical University Hospital, Professor Hiroshi Hoshikawa of Kagawa University, Professor Naoto Hato of Ehime University, and staff at Okayama University and other university-affiliated institutions for their cooperation in this study.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. An abstract from this study was presented at the 121st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Otolaryngology (October 2020, Okayama, Japan).
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Akisada, N., Monden, N., Kishino, T. et al. Otorhinolaryngologists/head and neck surgeons’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding fertility preservation in young cancer patients treated with chemotherapy: an anonymous questionnaire survey. Int J Clin Oncol 26, 1196–1202 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-021-01905-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-021-01905-z