Fertility Preservation Located To Be Safe Option For Breast Cancer Patients
December 30, 2011
Healthcare Prof:
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A new study published within the November problem of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that breast cancer patients under 40 years old who undergo fertility preservation do not face a substantial delay inside the remedy of their illness when their care is coordinated in a timely fashion.
“Easy access and very good communication amongst surgeons, medical oncologists and reproductive endocrinologists is vital,” stated Lynn Westphal, MD, associate professor, department of obstetrics and gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA.
Frequently, young females who’re diagnosed with breast cancer need to make challenging decisions about surgical treatment options too as chemotherapeutic treatments that could permanently impair their fertility or delay childbearing. Advancements in reproductive medicine like in vitro fertilization have benefited young ladies with breast cancer.
“The burden of facing premature menopause adds to the pressure experienced by young cancer survivors,” said Irene Wapnir, MD, FACS, associate professor, department of surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine. “Fertility preservation through cryopreservation of eggs or fertilized oocytes may possibly be an critical measure to offset these concerns and promote emotional well-being. Our study shows that these procedures, when expedited and appropriately timed, do not delay cancer remedy.”
Researchers used the Stanford Cancer Center tumor registry to retrospectively identify 82 ladies younger than 40 years old who received adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Of the girls identified, 19 underwent ovarian stimulation and oocyte retrieval, and 63 did not. The timing of fertility preservation, surgical intervention and chemotherapy were compared using the time intervals between diagnosis and remedy inside the patients who didn’t undergo fertility preservation.
The study team identified that the median time from initial diagnosis to chemotherapy in ladies who underwent fertility preservation was 71 days (ranging from 45 days to 161 days) versus 67 days amongst those who did not (ranging from 27 days to 144 days; p<0.22). The median time interval from definitive operation to chemotherapy was similar in the two groups (p<0.79): 30 days for women undergoing fertility preservation (ranging from 14 days to 100 days) and 29 days for women in the control group (ranging from 12 days to 120 days). For women undergoing fertility preservation, the median time from initial diagnosis to a reproductive consultation was 30 days (ranging from 4 days to 133 days) and from referral to fertility preservation was 32 days (ranging from 13 days to 66 days).
The mean age of the females who underwent fertility preservation was 33.7 years, and 84.two percent had not previously given birth. Among females who didn’t undergo fertility remedy, the mean age was 35.2 years, and 25.four percent had not previously given birth. The two groups were dissimilar with respect to stage of illness: 47.three percent of patients within the fertility preservation group had node-negative illness, compared with 25.4 percent in the control group. In addition, 73.7 percent of the fertility preservation group had estrogen-positive tumors, compared with 65.1 percent of the manage group.
Source: Sally Garneski
Weber Shandwick Worldwide
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