How I perform fertility preservation in breast cancer patients

Abstract

Additional age-related issues should be considered when managing breast cancer in young women. Among them, the potential consequences of anticancer treatments on ovarian function and fertility potential are of particular concern and need to be addressed as early as possible after diagnosis. Therefore, current guidelines strongly voice the need to provide proper oncofertility counseling with all patients of reproductive age with newly diagnosed cancer irrespective of its stage. This is a crucial step to discuss with all young women their disease and prognosis, the required treatments including their potential gonadotoxicity, the need for contraception during and after active systemic therapies, their future desire of conception, likelihood of pregnancy, its safety and outcomes as well as the available strategies to avoid the negative impact of the proposed treatment on ovarian function and fertility. Considering the rising trend in delaying childbearing and the suboptimal knowledge of health care providers towards these survivorship issues, further awareness and education towards optimizing the oncofertility counseling of young women with breast cancer need to be prioritized.