May 28, 2015 – Article courtesy of http://www.satprnews.com
New Orleans – Fertility counseling for men with cancer, prior to initiating treatment, can increase the rate of sperm preservation, according to a new survey presented during the 110th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA). The research was highlighted by study authors during a special press conference. Tobias S. Kohler, MD, MPH, FACS, associate professor of Surgery at Southern Illinois University moderated the session at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA on May 17, 2015.
Chemotherapy can cause infertility in men, affect his quality and number of sperm produced and can be temporary or permanent. If it is temporary, men will become fertile again once they have finished treatment, but may vary by person. However; despite the understanding that chemotherapy can lead to permanent infertility, many clinicians fail to incorporate fertility preservation for cancer patients prior to treatment. With this in mind, researchers at Brown University, Providence, RI, compared the likelihood of newly-diagnosed cancer patients preserving their sperm after receiving a formalized fertility counseling session versus those who did not.
Evaluating a single institution, researchers conducted a retrospective chart review of 411 men, with an average age of 42.3, with newly-diagnosed cancer, from 1998 – 2003, prior to the start of their chemotherapy treatment. The study found a significant increase in sperm banking rates among patients who received fertility counseling as part of a standardized nursing education program, compared to those who did not. Furthermore, after the initiation of counseling, the odds of sperm banking increased 2.9 times for those who received counseling. Also important to note, the odds of sperm banking among these patients were increased 3.8 times for those who did not have children.
Further research showed: “These findings shed light on one of the many important roles counseling plays for newly-diagnosed cancer patients,” explained Dr. Kohler. “Often fertility preservation is the last thing on a patient’s mind when diagnosed with cancer, so it’s particularly important to implement counseling and education services prior to the initiation of treatment.”
Study Details
Publication Number: PD52-11