The oncofertility community aims to educate both oncology and reproductive specialists throughout the United States and across the globe. Over the past five years, the Oncofertility Consortium has done this through an annual conference and monthly Virtual Grand Rounds. This year, we’ve gone one step further in providing clinical education by offering continuing medical education credits (CMEs) to health care providers, including physicians, nurses, and physicians assistants.

This program, called Oncofertility Online, allows health care providers to watch virtual presentations from the 2012 Oncofertility Conference and receive CME credits for their participation. In addition, providers can now watch live or recorded presentations from selected Virtual Grand Rounds (October 2012 – October 2013).

If you are interested in receiving CMEs by watching these recordings, just find a presentation and follow the instructions, which include taking a brief pre-test, watching the recording, and taking the post-test!

Also, you can join the next live Virtual Grand Rounds on Thursday, December 13th, 2012 at 10 AM Central Time on the “Reproductive Impact of Cancer Treatments and Fertility Preservation Options for Cancer Patients” which will be led by Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron, MD, MSCI, Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Illinois Medical Center and Mary Ellen Pavone, MD, Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Northwestern University. View the current list of the 2013 Virtual Grand Rounds here.

In 1974 a small group of physicians seeking to dispel the myth that community physicians were uninterested in and incapable of participation in state-of-the-art cancer care came together to form the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC). ACCC was born to give oncology practitioners in the community a voice in the national oncology forum and it would become the mechanism through which clinical protocols and other oncology standards of care were developed and disseminated to community cancer programs across the nation. ACCC promotes the entire continuum of quality cancer care for both patients and communities.

Most recently, Faye Flemming, RN, BSN, OCN, member of ACCC, created Nicole’s Oncofertility Toolkit to help facilitate the development of a formalized oncofertility program in community cancer centers. Faye initiated the project as a direct result of the pain and suffering her 28year old newly married niece, Nicole, endured when her oncology team failed to address her oncofertility needs immediately after diagnosis. Ultimately, Nicole’s fertility needs were recognized, but it wasn’t until months later after she found an oncology provider that was equipped with the tools, resources and knowledge to facilitate this. It also took persistence on Nicole’s part to seek out a cancer care team that would ensure she had fertility options prior to undergoing fertility impairing treatment.

Nicole’s Oncofertility Toolkit is a resource for both patients and healthcare professionals. It provides each with general information (statistics, cost, procedures, assessment), tools for establishing a program and resources for fertility preservation information so that both the provider and the patient are well informed. According to Faye, “Many cancer patients experience unnecessary emotional turmoil due to a lack of attention, knowledge, support, resources, planning and preparation related to oncofertility issues and both the providers and payers are to blame.” Therefore, this toolkit was created to empower both patients and providers to take control of the fertility options available to men, women and children.

In a community-based setting, it can be challenging to meet the fertility needs of cancer patients, but with the addition of Nicole’s Oncofertility Toolkit, it opens up a much needed dialogue about oncofertility, increasing the likelihood that fertility will be addressed at diagnosis in age appropriate patients.

Look of Repropedia.org from a smartphone

Last June, we discussed the launch of a new online dictionary dedicated to defining reproductive words in easy to understand terms. Since then, we’ve been linking our reproductive terms to the website, Repropedia.org, which is an authoritative website that provides short, jargon-free descriptions to the public. Recent updates have now made it easier than ever 1) for people to use the website, and 2) for blogs like ours to link to the website’s words.

The first change to the website is called “responsive design.” This means that the website responds to the type of computer device of a user. For example, if I’m on my smartphone, the website automatically configures itself one-way but if I go to the website on my iPad or my desktop computer, the website will change again to fit these devices. It’s almost like the developers have built their own app for the website!

The Repropedia.org screen changes format when viewed on a large screen

The second change to the website will affect how you read this blog. As you may have noticed, in the past when we wrote reproductive terms and linked them to Repropedia, the definition was opened in a brand new webpage. Now, you can click on the word and the definition will “pop-up” directly on the blog’s page. With this new system, you will be able to tell the Repropedia-linked words because they will appear purple and underlined. For example, you can see that here with the term fetus.

The Oncofertility Blog is currently beta-testing this technology for Repropedia so if you see anything you like (or don’t like), please tell us. Also, if you manage a website or blog and would like to incorporate these definitions into your own site, you can get on the list to integrate the Repropedia Tooltip when it becomes widely available.

By Nadia Johnson

In October 2010, the Center for Reproductive Research (CRR) supported an exhibit at the inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival, held on the National Mall, in Washington, DC, in which we showcased the Women’s Health Science Program, drew attention to the under-representation of women in the science workforce, and presented knowledge about research focused on women’s reproductive health.  The festival was a great success, so we didn’t hesitate when we were asked to participate in the 2nd annual USA Science & Engineering Festival, which took place in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC on April 28-29, 2012.

The title of our booth this year was “Just Bead It,” and focused on an activity that we do in the Women’s Health Science Program to teach our students about oncofertility – making alginate beads!!

Our activity was a huge attraction for young and old alike…while the youngest could not fully grasp what they were doing, the adolescents and adults were fascinated to learn that this simple material (alginate) which stands in as a pimento in olives, is actually helping us make major advances in preserving female fertility.

The USA Science & Engineering Festival also provided us the unique opportunity to speak with the many fellow educators who were representing their institutions.

The event was a huge success!  This year’s festival contained double the number of exhibitors, and an estimated 150,000 people visited the Expo.  We all enjoyed the lively atmosphere, imbued with science curiosity, discovery, camaraderie and enthusiasm!

Recently my colleague and office buddy, Nadia Johnson, was featured in the Spring 2012 issue of Inquiry, Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy’s (SESP) quarterly magazine, in an article entitled, “Higher Education Student Nadia Johnson: Motivating Girls to Study Science.” Nadia is the Co-Director for the Women’s Health Science Program (WHSP) and a graduate student at Northwestern pursuing a master’s degree in SESP’s Higher Education Administration and Policy program. Inquiry featured her as a student and Northwestern staff member who is making a difference in the lives of young women through science education.

As the Co-Director for WHSP, Nadia runs the Oncofertility Saturday Academy, along with programs in cardiology, physical science, and infectious diseases. The programs focus on bringing in girls who are under-represented in science and medicine, namely African American and Latina women, for a series of workshops open to high school juniors and seniors.  According to Nadia, “ When it comes to teaching science, we must better understand how boys and girls experience the science setting differently and how we can manage this so that girls can get just as far as boys.”

This past November, the WHSP program received the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering demonstrating the enormous impact this program has had on young women in science. For Nadia, the formula is simple, “If you excel in something and you have praise, you tend to go down that path,” as was the case for her. She also emphasizes the importance of having young women mentored by female scientists and clinicians so they see firsthand, women who are working and exceling in science fields.

Not one to rest on her morals, Nadia is using her graduate research to improve the WHSP program and make the experience not only significant for the high school students, but also for program mentors (health care providers, medical students, faculty, etc…) who also participate.  Regardless of what the data shows, Nadia knows from experience that these kinds of programs, are a win-win for everyone involved.  Read, “Higher Education Student Nadia Johnson: Motivating Girls to Study Science.”

Congratulations are in order for Kate Waimey Timmerman, PhD, who was just named by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) to the Women in Medicine and Science Steering Committee (GWIMS).  This appointment is an important step for Dr. Timmerman as well as the Oncofertility Consortium as it provides her with the opportunity to advocate for sex and gender equity in health and medicine nationally.

In 2009, the AAMC’s Board of Directors approved the creation of the GWIMS. This committee serves as a national forum for the advancement of women’s success in medicine and science by addressing gender equity, career advancement, awards and recognition, and recruitment and retention. The committee does this through advocacy, collaboration, fact-finding, and the development of initiatives, programs, and networking opportunities. GWIMS also supports women faculty in their development and implementation of institutional policies and professional development activities.

The GWIMS steering committee meets twice a year and provides additional networking opportunities at the AAMC Annual Meeting and the Early and Mid-Career Women Faculty Professional Development Seminars. According to Elizabeth Coakley, Director of GWIMS, “In order to address the growing number of gender-related issues in academic medicine, academic medical centers need visionary representatives who understand the complex responsibilities for women leaders.”

Dr. Timmerman is thrilled with her new appointment adding this new post to her repository of work promoting women in medicine and science. She states, “I am a great believer in collaborative approaches to problem solving and enjoy building relationships with like-minded individuals and groups for similar causes such as women’s education in science and medicine.” Congratulations Dr. Timmerman, we are very excited to see where this road takes you!

This week is the 10^th Annual National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week, beginning April 2^nd and ending on April 8^th. In April 2003, National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week was launched, and organizations and clinical institutions throughout North America began partnering to raise awareness about the unique needs of this age group. The young adult cancer population is defined as anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer between the ages of 15 to 39, and according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), more than 70,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer each year.

Young adults with cancer face unique concerns such as fertility, body image, cognitive function, long-term effects, education, insurance and employment. They also deal with distinct issues based on their age group, still reaching for their goals and dreams, which many older cancer patients have already achieved. For many young cancer patients, they envision themselves with a biological family at some point in their lives so fertility is a top concern for the young adult population.

In 2003, when National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week was founded, there were few groups or organizations advocating for young adults with cancer. Today though, there is a large movement on behalf of this age group providing a number of services, programs, and networking opportunities including the Oncofertility Consortium, Stupid Cancer, and Imerman Angels among so many others.  There is something for everyone!

For more information on community resources for young adults with cancer, please visit the Patients page of our website. You will find support groups and organizations that cater to the specific needs of young adults diagnosed with cancer. In the meantime, help us bring awareness to the young adult cancer community by spreading the word about National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week!

At the Oncofertility Consortium, we stress the importance of collaboration among clinicians, basic scientists, and the humanities in an effort to ensure that cancer patients have fertility options after treatment. This is no small feat, but the emerging field of oncofertility is constantly evolving as new fertility preservation techniques are developed, existing ones are improved and the impact of gonadotoxic cancer treatment is examined. In a new article written by oncofertility researchers, Katherine E. Dillon and Clarisa R. Gracia, and edited by Jacqueline Jeruss, in the journal, Current Treatments in Oncology, entitled, “Pediatric and Young Adult Patients and Oncofertility,” the authors explore the various fertility preservation options available to pediatric and young adult patients and argue that a team approach is needed between oncologists and reproductive endocrinologists in order to provide the best outcomes for young patients.

Among the fertility preservation techniques currently available, the authors discuss options available for both males and females including lesser known options for females such as oophoropexy (relocating the ovaries out of the radiation field to protect them from exposure during treatment), and hormone replacement therapy for pre-pubertal cancer patients. Options available for males are sperm banking and testicular tissue banking for pre-pubescent males. Testicular tissue banking is still experimental and requires further scientific development.

Increasing numbers of pediatric and young adult cancer patients are surviving well into their reproductive years, therefore the authors state that clinicians need to be informed about the impact of cancer therapies on both males and females, as well as the available fertility preservation techniques for this demographic. They also maintain that it is imperative for clinicians to understand the most recent advances in oncofertility to better understand the future direction of the field and potential fertility preservation techniques that will one day be practiced in a clinical setting. To read, “Pediatric and Young Adult Patients and Oncofertility,” please click here.

As previous studies have shown, women diagnosed with cancer during their reproductive years often do not receive adequate consultation, and sometimes none at all, regarding the fertility risks of cancer or its treatment.  Fertility is a unique survivorship issue that young cancer patients face, which can impact their quality-of-life after cancer treatment.  In the African American (AA) community, although more AA women are diagnosed with early-onset breast cancer than Caucasian women, little is known about patient awareness related to fertility or the rate at which providers are communicating potential fertility issues.

A new article in Supportive Care in Cancer by Oncofertility researchers, Susan T. Vadaparampil, Juliette Christie, Gwendolyn P. Quinn, Patrice Fleming, Caitlin Stowe, Bethanne Bower and Tuya Pal, entitled,  ”A pilot study to examine patient awareness and provider discussion of the impact of cancer treatment on fertility in a registry-based sample of African American women with breast cancer,” examines patient/provider communication in the African American breast cancer population.  The authors studied AA women under the age of 50, diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 2005 and 2006 in an effort to better understand the fertility communication and awareness barriers that may be in place for AA women being treated for breast cancer.

Similar to other studies, the authors found that a substantial proportion of young AA breast cancer patients were unaware of the impact breast cancer treatment would have on their fertility.  One half of young AA women diagnosed with breast cancer reported no discussion with their providers of fertility risks associated with their treatment.  The exception -women who were younger, had no children or few children, and had not undergone tubal ligation were more often aware of the fertility risks posed by their treatment.

The results of this study suggest that better communication and awareness about fertility is critical in order for AA patients to make informed decisions about their treatment.  In line with prior research, definite plans for childbearing, relationship status or sexual orientation should not play a role in whether or not someone is informed about their fertility risks. To learn more about this study or to read, “A pilot study to examine patient awareness and provider discussion of the impact of cancer treatment on fertility in a registry-based sample of African American women with breast cancer,” please click here.