Assessment of Ovarian Reserve in Female Cancer Survivors

Overview

Chemotherapy can damage the ovaries and cause premature menopause. In women treated before the age of 40 years, menopause does not usually occur. We have very little information about the impact of chemotherapy on ovarian function in this particular group of women. In this study, we will check hormone blood tests and ultrasound tests of the ovaries to measure the reserve of eggs left in the ovaries after treatment in young survivors of breast cancer and childhood cancer. We will do the same tests in our comparison group. We can use these results to estimate the reduction in fertility in young cancer survivors.

As women across North America and Europe increasingly delay childbirth, fertility preservation is emerging as an important issue among young breast cancer patients. The dramatic increase in survival for the major pediatric cancers in the last 50 years has resulted in an expanding population of childhood cancer survivors. The information currently available to counsel these patients about the impact of treatment on their fertility is inadequate. A significant degree of subfertility can exist prior to the onset of frank ovarian failure, and current studies do not address this. This study will adopt new technologies that have revolutionized the evaluation of female fertility to assess ovarian function in young breast cancer survivors. The results will provide new, more accurate and clinically useful information to patients and physicians about the impact of cancer therapy on fertility. The results have the potential to influence clinical decisions regarding cancer treatment, and the use of assisted reproductive technologies for contemporary patients and survivors. Further, insofar as treatment advances are designed to improve disease control while reducing toxicity, these results may serve as the basis for better understanding the toxicity of modern therapy and provide opportunities for improvement.

Conditions