Infertility induced by cancer treatment: inappropriate or no information provided to majority of French survivors of cancer

Abstract

Objective: To describe patients who reported treatment-induced infertility 2 years after cancer diagnosis and to highlight what factors are related to the patients' lack of information on this topic before starting therapy.

Design: Cross-sectional study by telephone interview.

Setting: Representative French national sample of survivors 2 years after cancer diagnosis.

Patient(s): 282 women (<45 years) and 1137 men (<71 years).

Intervention(s): None.

Main outcome measure(s): Self-reported treatment-induced infertility, and what information was provided on this issue before starting treatment, including information on systematic sperm cryopreservation.

Result(s): Among the participants, 104 women (37%) and 346 men (30%) reported having treatment-induced infertility. Among them, 31 women (30%) and 45 men (13%) reported that they had not been informed about the risk of infertility before they started treatment. Logistic regressions showed that a lack of information was associated with older age and treatment without hormone therapy among women and older age, cancers other than prostate, and a lack of participation in treatment decision-making among men.

Conclusion(s): Information about infertility risks and preservation methods should be provided more systematically to all treated patients, irrespective of their age.