Resources and information for parents of children with cancer . . . by parents of children with cancer.

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Survivor Issues: Fertility

According to the Survivorship Guidelines (V3, accessed 2011), children and young adults treated with high doses of aklylating agents (e.g., cyclophosphamide, bisulfan) and/or radiation are at higher risk for infertility. Most of the strategies listed below need to be implemented before treatment. Studies show that those survivors who do have children are not at greater risk for having children with disabilities or cancer (Childhood Cancer Survivors, 2nd ed., Keene, Hobbie, and Ruccione).

Note: This web site, Ped-Onc Resource Center, does not accept advertising. Any external for-profit organizations are listed here as suggestions only.

ReproTech is a cryostorage facility for human reproductive tissue. One-third of their business is Fertility Preservation for cancer patients. They participate in Sharing Hope (now with LIVESTRONG), but also administer their own financial assistance program, www.vernaspurse.org. They have established a Fertility Preservation Network, www.fertilitypreservation.com, comprised of top fertility centers around the US. In addition, they have a www.spermbankingbyair.com kit which may be used by men in more remote areas to bank their sperm.

Fertile Hope is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping cancer patients faced with infertility.

Fertile Hope, Lance Armstrong Foundation, and Cryogenic Laboratories, Inc., offer the Live:On kit for sperm preservation for cancer patients.

The Center for Young Women's Health Children's Hospital Boston - Reproductive Questions and Answers for Cancer Survivors: A Guide for Teens.

CA Online: Preserving Fertility After Cancer. Beth Simon, MD, Stephanie Joi Lee, MD, Ann Hart Partridge, MD and Carolyn D. Runowicz, MD, CA Cancer J Clin 2005; 55:211-228. (Sept 2005 paper of the month on Cure4Kids.)

Journal Articles

Introduction: Should Ovarian Failure in Survivors of Childhood Cancers Be Treated with Hormonal Therapy? Heather Appelbaum, MD (Section Editor), Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, Volume 24, Issue 2, Page 98 (April 2011).

Pediatric Blood & Cancer, Volume 53, Issue 2, 2009, has several articles on fertility issues.

'Fertility Preservation for Young Patients with Cancer: who is at risk and what can be offered?' written by Dr. Hamish and colleagues and published in Lancet Oncology, 6:262, 2005. Abstract.

Fertility preservation medicine: options for young adults and children with cancer. Rodriguez-Wallberg KA, Oktay K., J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2010 Jul;32(5):390-6. Abstract.

Fertility of Male Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Report From the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. Green DM et al., J Clin Oncol. 2009 Nov 30. Abstract.

Effect of childhood cancer treatment on fertility markers in adult male long-term survivors. Niels J. van Casteren et al., Pediatric Blood & Cancer, Volume 52, Issue 1, 2009, pp. 108-112. Abstract.

Timing of menarche among survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. Eric J. Chow et al. Pediatric Blood and Cancer, Volume 50, Issue 4, p. 854-858. Abstract.

Female Survivors of Childhood Cancer: Preterm Birth and Low Birth Weight Among Their Children. Lisa B. Signorello, Sarah S. Cohen, Cristina Bosetti, Marilyn Stovall, Catherine E. Kasper, Rita E. Weathers, John A. Whitton, Daniel M. Green, Sarah S. Donaldson, Ann C. Mertens, Leslie L. Robison, John D. Boice, Jr. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 98, No. 20, 1453-1461, October 18, 2006. Abstract. Online lay summary: Radiotherapy Threatens Babies Born to Childhood Cancer Survivors. NCI Bulletin. "Women who were exposed to radiotherapy during treatment for childhood cancer - especially pelvic radiation - are more likely to deliver infants who are born prematurely."

General Disclaimer

These pages are intended for informational purposes only and are not intended to render medical advice. The information provided on Ped Onc Resource Center should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you suspect your child has a health problem, you should consult your health care provider.

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