MDNews - Mid Hudson

+++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++ WOMEN'S HEALTH+ + ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Shedding Light on Links Between CHEMOTHERAPY and FERTILITY A STUDY PERFORMED CONCLUDED that current estimates — based on previous studies and research — may inaccurately portray how chemotherapy affects a woman's reproductive health. Current low estimates of the effects of chemotherapy on female fertility have been based on studies on amenorrhea — the absence of menstruation after chemo- therapy treatment. The UCSF researchers went beyond analyzing amenorrhea to examine age-specific and long-term outcomes, such as infertility and the early onset of menopause. The study also found that the age of a woman when diagnosed is relevant to her fertility — a woman diagnosed with cancer at a younger age is more likely to experience menopause at an earlier age than her counterparts who are cancer-free. During the study, published in the journal Cancer, researchers surveyed 1,041 women between the ages of 18 and 40 about their reproductive medical histories before and after cancer treatment, using the California Cancer Registry, a state cancer surveillance system. The survey included women's experiences with early menopause, infertility and acute ovarian failure, which results in lack of menstrua- tion. Of the respondents, 620 women were treated only with chemotherapy, and women were selected for the study based on specific types of cancer diagnoses: + breast cancer + gastrointestinal cancer + Hodgkin's disease + non-Hodgkin's lymphoma + leukemia Women with the highest percent of acute ovarian failure were in the non- Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast cancer and Hodgkin's disease categories. Younger women also experienced higher rates of early onset menopause, and the risk of infertility increased as women aged. Joseph Letourneau, M.D., lead author of the study and current resident physician in OB/GYN at the University of North Carolina, states that infertility is more common in cancer survivors than in other parts of the population. The Future of Reproductive Planning for Female Cancer Survivors Mitchell Rosen, M.D., senior author of the study and assistant professor in the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, states that chemotherapy narrows a woman's reproductive window and can potentially cause a range of long-term damage to her ovaries. Even if a woman regains her ability to menstruate after chemotherapy, her fertility may be affected by this damage, although many female patients in the study reported being told that if their menstruation continued, they would have no lasting reproductive damage due to the chemotherapy. Dr. Rosen and other authors of the study hope that the findings can help physicians and women better understand the reproductive health of cancer survivors. ■ MDNEWS.COM ■ MD NEWS Mid Hudson | 19

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