Residual Fertility in Childhood Cancer Survivors

Abstract During the past three decades, major improvements have been made in the treatment and cure of certain hematological malignancies, as well as solid tumors in young patients. As a result of improved survival, attention has been turned to the long-term physical and psychological sequelae of treatment. The loss of fertility in males and premature menopause in females are important and common long-term side effects of curative radio- and chemotherapy. The frequency of fertility failure varies with the type, dose, duration of radio- and chemotherapy, and age of patient. Currently, there are no good estimates of the magnitude of the risk involved in relation to these factors. However, the combination of hormonal values, pubertal staging and the ultrasonography and Doppler analyses of the gonads may noninvasively study the subtle modification following anticancer therapies. This could help to find new insights on potential preventive acts before initiation of the anticancer therapy, and hopefully, the restoration of fertility after treatment.