Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
##common.pageHeaderLogo.altText##

Original article

Vol. 140 No. 2930 (2010)

Fertility and cancer

  • D Besse
  • M Bellavia
  • Ziegler de
  • D Wunder
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2010.13075
Cite this as:
Swiss Med Wkly. 2010;140:w13075
Published
19.07.2010

Summary

Principles: Women of reproductive age with cancer fear for their childbearing potential as a result of the cancer itself and chemo- and/or radiation-therapy.

Methods: Starting in 2006, a dedicated task force was set up at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) to handle all cancer and fertility issues and, in certain cases, offer access to emergency assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to preserve further childbearing options. Help provided by the task force was offered within a multidisciplinary framework encompassing psychological counselling offered to each patient or couple.

Results: We report here the salient points of the experience gained through dedicated psychological counselling offered to cancer patients concerned about their future fecundity. This was done with the intention of underscoring the most clinically relevant lessons learned through our experience at CHUV.

Conclusions: The specific ‘cancer and fertility’ counselling instituted at CHUV offers support for young women or couples confronted with stressful cancer and fertility issues. This type of specific counselling, the resource counselling, appears to be a particularly appropriate tool for patients abruptly involved in difficult decision-making processes under time constraints and thus extremely vulnerable. The personal feedbacks from the patients also confirm the importance of offering specific counselling and timely psychological support of the type reported here to all women of reproductive age before starting chemo- and/or radiation-therapy.

References

  1. http://www.grssgo.ch; http://www.espacecancer.chuv.ch
  2. Réseau Romand de Cancer et Fertilité : Recommandations, 2009: Cancer du sein et fertilité, cancer de l’ovaire et fertilité, cancer du col et de l’endomètre, lymphomes et leucémies. Available from: http://www.grssgo.ch
  3. Zaman K, Ambrosetti A, Perey L et al. Cancer du sein chez la jeune femme: traitements adjuvants et désir de grossesse. Rev Med Suisse. 2007;3:1298–304.
  4. Rogers C, Farson R. Active listening. In Kolb D, Rubin I, MacIntyre J (eds). Organizational Psychology, 3rd edn. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1979.
  5. Miller WR, Rollnick S. Motivational Interviewing. Preparing People for Change. New York: Guilford Press, 2002.
  6. Béran M.D et Germond M. L’entretien d’évaluation des ressources psychosociales en médecine de la reproduction. Etude pilote d’une nouvelle approche: le “bilan des ressources”. J Gynecol Obstet Biol Reprod. 2000;29:662–7.
  7. Emery M, Béran MD, Darwiche J, Opizzi L, Joris V, Capel R, et al. Results from a prospective, randomized, controlled study evaluating the acceptability and effects of routine pre-IVF counseling. Hum Reprod. 2003;18:2647–53.
  8. Mc Goldick M, Gerson R. Génogrammes et entretien familial. 2ème éd. Paris. EME Editions Sociales Françaises (ESF), 1995.
  9. de Ziegler D, Streuli I, Vasilopoulos I, Decanter C, This P, Chapron C. Cancer and fecundity issues mandate a multidisciplinary approach. Fertil Steril. 2010;93:691–6.
  10. Loi fédérale sur la procréation médicalement assistée: http://www.admin.ch/ch/f/rs/c810_11html
  11. Schover LR, Brey K, Lichtin A, Lipshultz LI, Jeha S. Knowledge and experience regarding cancer, infertility and sperm banking in younger male survivors. J Clin Oncol. 2002;20:1880–9.
  12. Schover LR, Rybicki LA, Martin BA, Bringelsen KA. Having children after cancer: A pilot survey of survivors’ attitudes and experiences. Cancer. 1999:86:697–709.
  13. Zebrack BJ, Casillas J, Nohr L, Adams H, Zeltzer LK. Fertility issues for young adult survivors of childhood cancer. Psychooncology. 2004;13:6809–699.
  14. Zebrack BJ, Mills J, Weitzman TS. Health and supportive care needs of young adult cancer patients and survivors. J Cancer Surviv. 2007;1:137–45.
  15. Duffy CM, Allen SM, Clark MA. Discussions regarding reproductive health for young women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. J Clin Oncol. 2005:23:766–73.
  16. Partridge AH, Gelber S, Peppercorn J, Sampson E, Knudsen K, Laufer M, et al. Web-based survey of fertility issues in young women with breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2004;22:4174–83.
  17. Schover LR, Brey K, Lichtin A, Lipshultz LI, Jeha S. Oncologists’ attitudes and practices regarding banking sperm before cancer treatment. J Clin Oncol. 2002;20:1890–7.
  18. Thewes B, Meiser B, Rickard J, Friedlander M. The fertility- and menopause-related information needs of younger women with a diagnosis of breast cancer: A qualitative study. Psychooncology. 2003;12:500–11.
  19. Thewes B, Meiser B, Taylor A, Philips KA, Pendlebury S, Capp A, et al. Fertility- and Menopause-Related Information Needs of Younger Women With a Diagnosis of Early Breast Cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2005;23:5155–65.
  20. Lee SJ, Schover LR, Partridge AH, Patrizio P, Wallace WH, Hagerty K, Beck LN, Brennan LV, Oktay K. American Society of Clinical Oncology Recommendations on Fertility Preservation in Cancer Patients. J Clin Oncol. 2006;24:2917–31.
  21. Boivin J, Kentenich H. Guidelines for counselling in infertility. ESHRE Monographs, Oxford University Press, 2002.