Psychosocial, Ethical, and Legal Issues De fi ning and Measuring Reproductive Concerns of Female Cancer Survivors

Although women diagnosed with cancer during their child- bearing years are at signifi cant risk for infertility, we know little about the relationship between infertility and long- term quality of life (QOL). To examine these relationships, we assessed psychosocial and reproductive concerns and QOL in 231 female cancer survivors. Greater reproductive concerns were signifi cantly associated with lower QOL on numerous dimensions ( P <.001). In a multiple regression model, social support, gynecologic problems, and repro- ductive concerns accounted for 63% of the variance in QOL scores. Women who reported wanting to conceive after cancer, but were not able to, reported signifi cantly more reproductive concerns than those who were able to reproduce after cancer ( P <.001). These preliminary data suggest that at least for vulnerable subgroups, the issue of reproductive concerns is worthy of additional investiga- tion to assist cancer survivors living with the threat or reality of infertility. (J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr 2005; 34:94-8)