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. 2018 Dec;14(29):3059-3072.
doi: 10.2217/fon-2018-0278. Epub 2018 Nov 26.

The National Physicians Cooperative: transforming fertility management in the cancer setting and beyond

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The National Physicians Cooperative: transforming fertility management in the cancer setting and beyond

Brigid M Smith et al. Future Oncol. 2018 Dec.

Abstract

Once unimaginable, fertility management is now a nationally established part of cancer care in institutions, from academic centers to community hospitals to private practices. Over the last two decades, advances in medicine and reproductive science have made it possible for men, women and children to be connected with an oncofertility specialist or offered fertility preservation soon after a cancer diagnosis. The Oncofertility Consortium's National Physicians Cooperative is a large-scale effort to engage physicians across disciplines - oncology, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, reproductive endocrinology, and behavioral health - in clinical and research activities to enable significant progress in providing fertility preservation options to children and adults. Here, we review the structure and function of the National Physicians Cooperative and identify next steps.

Keywords: fertility preservation; oncofertility; reproductive health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by the Center for Reproductive Health After Disease (P50HD076188) from the NIH National Center for Translational Research in Reproduction and Infertility (NCTRI). The below authors acknowledge relationships with the following: J Hirschfeld-Cytron is a consultant in the Natera Genetics Company; ME Pavone is an advisory board member in Ferring Pharmaceuticals; SR Lindheim is a consultant and speaker in Bayer; a medical advisor in Crossbay; a speaker in Abbvie and Cooper Surgical; LA Kondapalli is a memeber of Speakers’ Bureau in Ferring Pharmaceuticals. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Figures

<b>Figure 1.</b>
Figure 1.. States with National Physicians Cooperative member institutions are shown in purple, demonstrating the geographical reach of the Oncofertility Consortium.

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