What's New: Hot Topics - Sperm Banking

Many oncologists not following ASCO fertility preservation guidelines for cancer patients, study indicates.

Medscape (6/1, Nelson) reported, "Many oncologists are not following fertility preservation guidelines and are unaware of current guidelines regarding fertility preservation for cancer patients, according to the results of a survey presented...at the American Society of Clinical Oncology" annual meeting. The guidelines "recommend that oncologists 'address the possibility of infertility with patients treated during their reproductive years and be prepared to discuss possible fertility preservation options or refer appropriate and interested patients to reproductive specialists." For the study, researchers surveyed 613 physicians "with a 33 percent response rate among oncologists." They found that "the majority of oncologists (79 percent) reported discussing fertility preservation with patients of childbearing age, but less than 25 percent referred such patients to reproductive specialists or reported distributing educational materials regarding fertility preservation." But, those "oncologists who were knowledgeable about fertility preservation were 2.6 times more likely to discuss the impact of treatment on fertility and were 1.9 times more likely to feel comfortable discussing it."

Use of fertility preservation procedures rapidly expanding beyond adult cancer population, analysis indicates.

MedPage Today (11/17/08, Johnson) reported, "The use of fertility preservation procedures is rapidly expanding beyond the adult cancer population, with non-cancerous conditions now the fastest growing indication, according to a recent study" presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine."  According to Kutluk Oktay, M.D., of New York Medical College and director of the Institute for Fertility Preservation, "of 515 patients referred to the Institute for Fertility Preservation in New York over the past decade, five percent were for non-cancerous conditions -- and this is the fastest growing group."  Furthermore, "the most common conditions for referral among those who did not have cancer were benign ovarian cysts, recurrent dermoid cysts, systemic lupus erythematosus with renal involvement, Turner's Syndrome, and anemia."