Physicians’ knowledge, attitude, and behavior regarding fertility issues for young breast cancer patients: a national survey for breast care specialists

Abstract

Female and younger physicians as well as physicians working in a multidisciplinary environment had positive attitudes and behavior towards fertility preservation in breast cancer patients. The development of comprehensive and interdisciplinary programs for healthcare providers is necessary to meet the expectations and fertility needs of breast cancer patients.

Evaluation of the awareness of, attitude to, and knowledge about fertility preservation in cancer patients among clinical practitioners in Hong Kong

“…Similar to previous studies, a high risk of disease recurrence and poor prognosis discouraged discussion about future fertility. [9][10][11] More than half of the respondents also expressed insufficient time for fertility preservation procedures before initiation of gonadotoxic treatment. Nonetheless sperm cryopreservation is a simple and effective method of preserving fertility for male patients who need to produce only a semen sample by masturbation for cryopreservation at any time before initiation of gonadotoxic treatment.…”

Fertility preservation in cancer patients: The global framework

“…In other countries fertility preservation consultations do not occur on regular basis and referrals to fertility specialists are even lower [46,55,56]. General tendency noted in most studies is that physicians are concerned with patient's prognosis [49,53], type of cancer [46,53] and reluctance to delay the start of treatment [49,57]. Lack of knowledge about fertility preservation and time constraints were also among the reasons why fertility preservation was not addressed by British, Japanese, Turkish and Iranian physicians ( Table 3).…”

A Review of the Oncology Patient's Challenges for Utilizing Fertility Preservation Services

“…While 68% of men are receiving information about their fertility options, only 14% of women are receiving the same information. 28 For men, sperm cryopreservation is a relatively simple and affordable procedure; therefore, fertility preservation can be easily integrated into their treatment process. Although even with sperm cryopreservation considered a standard for male 38 FLINK ET AL.…”

“…Factors including marital status, age, gender, and cancer treatment type have been identified as influences to whether providers discuss fertility information with their patients. 14,24,28,[54][55][56] Providers may not be addressing future concerns of adolescent cancer patients at the time of cancer diagnosis. Future studies identifying the priorities for future fertility among adolescent cancer patients will address many of these perceptions providers have in identifying patients appropriate for receiving fertility information.…”

“…For instance, the lack of an integrated referral system, limited resources or oncofertility specialists to refer patients, and time constraints in early cancer treatment consultations have been identified as possible barriers to timely referrals. 14,20,21,28,43,57,58,61,62 Few institutions have been able to demonstrate a standardized referral process to fertility services for adolescent cancer patients. Institutional policies and appropriate referral to a specialist will help alleviate the concerns oncology providers have expressed in addressing fertility with their AYA patients.…”