S.-W. Chan

Fertility Sparing Surgery for Localized Ovarian Cancers Maintains an Ability to Conceive, but is Associated With Diminished Reproductive Potential

Little is known about fertility outcomes after fertility sparing surgery (FSS) for localized ovarian cancers.

Accelerating Ovarian Age: Cancer Treatment in the Premenopausal Woman

The reproductive sequelae of cancer treatments may provide an important model of accelerated ovarian aging. Tens of thousands of women treated for cancer each year experience infertility and early menopause as a result of treatment. A spectrum of reproductive compromise commonly ranges from immediate menopause at the time of cancer treatment to the less proximate outcome of early menopause in the years to decades after treatment. A womans reproductive lifespan can be shortened after chemotherapy or radiation because such treatments likely decrease the number of viable eggs after treatment. This acceleration in the decline of the number of follicles leads to increased rates of not only infertility and miscarriage but also early menopause, which represents the most extreme form of accelerated ovarian aging. The degree of reproductive impairment is dependent on chronologic age and the diagnosis or treatment. The variation in outcomes that persist may be partially explained by pretreatment ovarian reserve. Establishing the use of clinical predictors such as ovarian reserve markers to effectively anticipate such outcomes is an obvious and important keystone in the foundation of cancer survivorship research. An improved understanding of cancer treatments ability to accelerate follicle death, decrease fecundability, and initiate an earlier menopause could provide a clinically relevant, time-shortened, and reproducible snapshot into the basic biology of ovarian aging.

Sexual satisfaction and quality of life in survivors of localized cervical and ovarian cancers following fertility-sparing surgery

OBJECTIVE To determine if sexual satisfaction and sexual quality of life (QOL) are different in survivors of localized cervical and ovarian cancers who undergo fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) as compared with standard surgery. METHODS 470 survivors of localized cervical and ovarian cancers diagnosed between the ages of 18-40 were recruited from the California Cancer Registry to complete a cross-sectional survey. Validated questionnaires were used to assess sexual satisfaction and sexual QOL. RESULTS 228 women with localized cervical cancer and 125 with localized ovarian cancer completed the survey. In the cervical cancer group, 92 underwent FSS. Compared with the 84 women who did not undergo FSS (had a hysterectomy, but retained at least one ovary), there was no significant difference in sexual satisfaction or sexual QOL mean scores in women who maintained their uterus (cold-knife cone or trachelectomy), after controlling for age and menopausal status. 82 women with ovarian cancer underwent FSS. Compared with the 39 women that had a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, we found no significant differences in sexual satisfaction or sexual QOL in women who maintained at least one ovary (USO or cystectomy), after controlling for age and menopausal status. CONCLUSIONS While FSS may allow for post-treatment fertility, it may not confer a significant benefit with regard to sexual satisfaction or sexual QOL. Thus, the decision to perform FSS should not be dictated based on preservation of sexual functioning.