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Fertility Preservation for the Young Breast Cancer Patient

  • Breast Oncology
  • Published:
Annals of Surgical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guidelines include incorporation of fertility preservation guidelines in the care of breast oncology patients. This study aimed to examine the baseline knowledge and preferences concerning fertility preservation among women of childbearing age with newly diagnosed breast cancer at the time of their initial visit to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).

Methods

A questionnaire on reproductive history, fertility knowledge, and preservation options was administered to women 18–45 years of age with newly diagnosed breast cancer at MSKCC between May and September 2011.

Results

The inclusion criteria were met by 60 women eligible for analysis who had a median age of 40 years (range 20–45 years). The findings showed that 50 % of the women either desired children in the future or were unsure whether they wanted children, with 9 % reporting that they received information about fertility preservation options before their MSKCC visit. Women who had never been pregnant were more likely than those with prior pregnancies to consider having children in the future (p = 0.001) and to contemplate fertility preservation options both before (p = 0.001) and after (p = 0.0002) cancer treatment.

Conclusion

Early referral allows patients to take advantage of fertility preservation options while preventing delay in the initiation of systemic therapy. Referral by the breast surgical oncologist at the time of the initial visit has the potential to increase fertility knowledge because it appears that many women have not yet received fertility information at this early treatment stage.

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Acknowledgment

This study was funded in part through NIH/NCI Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA008748.

Disclosures

The authors have no disclosures to report.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Breast Medicine Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Shari B. Goldfarb MD & Sabrina A. Kamer BS

  2. Health Outcomes Research Group, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Shari B. Goldfarb MD

  3. Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Shari B. Goldfarb MD

  4. Department of Surgery, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA

    Bridget A. Oppong MD

  5. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Anne Eaton MS & Sujata Patil PhD

  6. Breast Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Manuela J. Junqueira MD, Cristina Olcese BS & Mary L. Gemignani MD, MPH

  7. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Joanne F. Kelvin RN

Authors
  1. Shari B. Goldfarb MD
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  2. Sabrina A. Kamer BS
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  3. Bridget A. Oppong MD
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  4. Anne Eaton MS
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  5. Sujata Patil PhD
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  6. Manuela J. Junqueira MD
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  7. Cristina Olcese BS
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  8. Joanne F. Kelvin RN
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  9. Mary L. Gemignani MD, MPH
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mary L. Gemignani MD, MPH.

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Goldfarb, S.B., Kamer, S.A., Oppong, B.A. et al. Fertility Preservation for the Young Breast Cancer Patient. Ann Surg Oncol 23, 1530–1536 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-015-5036-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-015-5036-8

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