Dr. Jackie Jeruss, a breast surgical oncologists and one of the founding oncology members in the Oncofertility Consortium, co-authored a paper with me in the New England Journal of Medicine.  This paper is titled, Preservation of Fertility in Patients with Cancer (NEJM, 2009; 360:902-911.  This paper outlines the roles that oncologists play in the diagnosis of disease, the development of a treatment strategy and in the presentation of the fertility risks associated with treatment and ways to spare fertility.

Oncologists often find themselves struggling with the real and present dangers associated with a new cancer diagnosis.  Finding the time and mental resources to talk about survivorship issues is a difficult but not insurmountable task.   On the other side of the equation, reproductive endocrinologists are rarely equipped to address the emergency needs of a cancer patients for either hormone stimulation of tissue harvest.  The goal of the Oncofertility Consortium is to provide a range of navigational tools that can assist in the management of complex young cancer patients.

In a webinar on Tuesday, Dr. Jeruss and I will talk about the issues facing practitioners and give pratical steps that can facilitate the development of a multidisciplinary Oncofertility Program that can turn young cancer patients into parents.

Information on the webinar can be found at:  http://oncofertility.northwestern.edu/events/webinars

With the emergence of the new interdisciplinary field of the oncofertility, how can we expose, inspire, and support the future generations of oncofertility scholars? Consider the Oncofertility Saturday Academy (OSA) of Chicago science education program model. OSA Chicago is a collaborative effort between Northwestern University and Young Women’s Leadership Charter School initiated in 2007. OSA has created a dynamic access point to oncofertility for a diverse population of junior and senior high school girls. It is a two-year program that focuses on the basic science and clinical application of oncofertility. The program provides engaging and challenging Saturday learning modules, led by faculty, staff, and students of Northwestern University, facilitated in state-of-the-art laboratories and clinics (please visit, osa.northwestern.edu to view the entire OSA Chicago curriculum and video). OSA has already shown to have a positive impact on the lives of the participants by encouraging and preparing them to pursue undergraduate degrees in science and medicine. In fact, there are a total of 15 past participants who are now in college. All 15 of these young women are pursuing science, medical, or engineering degrees.  Will this science education program model inspire and support high school girls to become oncofertility scholars?

My name is Shauna Gardino and I am clinical research coordinator at the Oncofertility Consortium. I manage the portfolio of social science studies related to fertility preservation for cancer patients. There are five current social science initiatives that provide a vital perspective of the social implications and considerations associated with oncofertiltiy in the lived world, including:
• An examination of the ethical, legal and religious issues associated with emerging fertility preservation technologies, including issues such justice and access to treatment, consent and disclosure, international perspectives and prospective ethics.
• A willingness to pay assessment spearheaded by the Kellogg School of Economics to understand the economic value of oncofertility technologies
• A shared decision-making study aimed at developing, implementing, evaluating and disseminating a shared decision making model for family, patients and health care providers to use in deciding what to do about fertility issues when a young girl has been diagnosed with cancer
• An examination of how breast cancer patients navigate fertility concerns and treatment options, looking at how doctors and patients discuss the topic of infertility and possible treatment options and identifying facilitators and barriers to this exchange of information
• A quality of life study aiming to assess reproductive concerns and psychosocial functioning in cancer patients and to compare longitudinally the overall psychosocial functioning in cancer patients referred for fertility consultation and cancer patients not referred for fertility consultation.

Additional information related to the social science initiatives can be found on the Oncofertility Website:
http://oncofertility.northwestern.edu/research/social-science-and-oncofertility

I am also currently conducting an independent study on adoption agency attitudes and perspectives on the potential to parent for individuals with a history of cancer. I also assist with administrative duties at the Consortium and will be in charge of the Annual Oncofertility Consortium Conference this September 14-16th in Chicago, IL. The conference is an opportunity for researchers and clinicians to disseminate knowledge and share progress and ideas in the field of oncofertility, and a testament to our growing network and emerging field. Mark your calendars!

Looking forward to sharing this exciting research with all of you!!

Shauna

Cancer is now a disease with a variety of treatment options, which are leading to longer and more productive lives by survivors. Globally, there are 10 million people diagnosed with cancer.  10% of these newly diagnosed men and women are under the age of 45 years old. Infertility can be a consequence of many of the more aggressive chemo- and radiation therapies that prolong and save lives.  The ability to easily preserve sperm prior to cancer treatment provides hope at the time of diagnosis and families later in life for male survivors.  A notable example is Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong who has three children conceived using sperm frozen days before he underwent the massive chemo- and radiation therapy that saved his life. Unlike sperm, the female germ cell, the oocyte or egg must be retrieved surgically.  Moreover, the vast majority of collected oocytes will be immature and cannot be used immediately by a woman who is ready to start a family.  The overall hypothesis  of the program is that effective fertility-extending options can be provided to young women undergoing life-preserving cancer treatment. The purpose of our work is to bring physicians, medical ethicists, social scientists and basic scientists together to develop new strategies for fertility preservation for female cancer survivors under the new discipline of oncofertility.  And even as the lexicon is being established, complex bioethical issues face both providers and parents.  At the basic science level, complex issues of ovarian function and preservation must be addressed including the problem of follicle growth and development in vitro. Our investigative group has pioneered the development of a 3-dimensional system that supports follicle development, largely, we believe, because the links between the egg and its surrounding cells are maintained.  Using a tissue-engineered approach, we have developed an in vitro follicle growth system that supports the maturation of the enclosed oocyte, which can be fertilized and results in live, healthy and reproductively competent mice.  The goal of our program and the broader Oncofertility Consortium is to explore and expand the reproductive options available to young people facing a fertility-threatening but life-preserving cancer treatment.

Have you noticed our logo?

The Oncofertility Consortium logo is a trademarked advocacy ribbon that reflects the growing concern for the reproductive future of cancer patients. The intertwining spring green and hearty purple represents blossoming hope and uncompromised dedication to improving fertility preservation options for cancer patients. The lower tip of the ribbon emerges shows an emergence of eggs or embryos, as well as sperm, welcoming the translation of current research to the improvement of fertility options for all cancer patients. The ribbon has a slightly ‘bowed’ shape, providing a subliminal imagery of a fertile state.  I incorporated different colors and the lines and balls to further represent the interdisciplinarity of the work that we do.

Welcome to the Oncofertility Consortium Blog.  The Oncofertility Consortium is a program dedicated to the reproductive health of young people, men, women and children, who face a fertility-threat due to life-preserving treatments for cancer.  Our mission is to ensure that patients, physicians and the community are aware of the impact of cancer treatment on fertility and to provide a range of options that are appropriate to the individual.  This blog provides the opportunity for us to communicate the scope of our work and invite dialog about the ways in which reproductive science and medicine are improving the lives of all people.

Hi, my name is Dr. Jennifer Hirshfeld and I am an ob/gyne currently undergoing subspeciality training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility.  As part of this program, I have had the opportunity to work in Dr. Woodruff’s lab and learn about the emerging scientific discoveries regarding ovarian biology.  Oncofertility focuses on fertility preservation for cancer patients as treatments as well as the disease can affect one’s future fertility.  Yet, cancer is not unique in this way; other disease processes have treatments that also effect one’s future fertility.  I plan to focus this blog on coverage of some of those diseases with suggested articles and websites to learn more about this important topic.  It is very exciting to be apart of the oncofertility focused “blog-society”!  I look forward to your comments and suggestions.