The Society for Reproductive Science highlighted fertility preservation technology in a platform session at its annual meeting. Teresa Woodruff presented work on mouse and human follicle maturation. Jing Xu spoke about work on follicle maturation technologies in a rhesus monkey model. Her work is paving the way for new understanding about follicle maturation. Finally, Pierre Comizzoli spoke about cryopreservation of ovarian tissue from cats. Pierre is working toward fertility preservation solutions for threatened wildlife and is a scientist at the Smithsonian National Zoo. Shiying Jin presented a poster on primordial follicle development.

Dear Oncofertility Colleagues:

Our second annual Oncofertility Reflections on the Humanities and Social Sciences summit starts tomorrow morning, July 22 at 9AM in the beautiful Norris Student Union on the Evanston campus of Northwestern University. Organized by Professor Laurie Zoloth and Dr. Lisa Campo-Engelstein, we have created a forum for discussion, deep thinking and new ideas that are focused on understanding the impact of existing and emerging reproductive technologies not only on young cancer patients but on the world at large. 60 colleagues are in town to share their recent thinking and scholarship in the areas of oncofertility ethics, economics, religious perspectives, feminist theory, parenthood and sexuality.

It is our hope that this summit is an environment that will ignite synthesis thinking on reproductive technology and reproductive health for society at large and we invite your comments. http://oncofertility.northwestern.edu/

tk

I’m in Israel for the Israel Endocrine Society meetings and have met a great number of people working on fertility preservation options for young people with cancer.  What strikes me about this work is how hard the scientific community is working to come up with realistic options, especially for women and children with cancer; how thoughtful the medical community is about what can be offered to their patients and how engaged the cancer advocate community is in promoting education about fertility risks and options.  A global community has emerged that is sharing ideas and best practices that creates a sense of shared purpose.  There are no easy answers for those young women who do not have time to undergo hormone stimulation and we do not want to promise options that are not realistic.  Having global partners means that ideas are constantly evaluated from a variety of perspectives and permits us to be pragmatic while we persevere.

Jacqueline S. Jeruss, MD, Ph.D, a breast surgical oncologist and one of the founding oncology members in the Oncofertility Consortium™, and Dr. Teresa K. Woodruff (Thomas J. Watkins Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of The Oncofertility Consortium™) have co-authored a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine titled “Preservation of Fertility in Patients with Cancer.” (NEJM 2009; 360:902-911).

The Oncofertility Consortium™ is a nationwide, interdisciplinary and interprofessional group led by Northwestern University researchers, dedicated to the advancement of technologies that will provide improved fertility preserving options to cancer patients whose lifesaving treatments can threaten their fertility. Its goal is to address the scientific, clinical and psychosocial challenges that must be solved to expand the menu of options available and to raise consciousness among scientists, physicians and families about this critical quality of life issue.

Cancer treatments are increasingly successful in improving long term survival. However, these same life saving treatments can impact fertility: fertility preservation has become an important quality of life issue for cancer survivors. Fertility preservation interventions are very effective but must be utilized before cancer treatment can begin. Oncologists, and those who care for young cancer patients, must have the information and resources available to discuss these options with their patients.

This New England Journal of Medicine paper provides a review of the effects of cancer treatment on fertility, the current and future methods of fertility preservation, algorithms for their use in clinical practice and the importance of fertility preservation for in clinical decision-making. Breast cancer treatment is used as template for integration of care. The Oncofertility Consortium is a nationwide network of fertility preservation provider

In a webinar , scheduled for Tuesday, March 3 at 2PM CST, Dr. Jeruss and Dr. Woodruff will discuss the implications of the concepts presented in this paper and the new discipline of oncofertility with moderator Marla Paul.

The Webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3 at 2 PM CST and will be available at http://oncofertility.northwestern.edu/events/webinars.

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

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.