Ovarian function and fertility preservation for young people treated for cancer

Abstract

Further advances in the treatment of young people with cancer have led to improved survival, with 85.6% 5-year relative survival for ages 0–14 in the USA for the years 2010–2016 [18]. However, successful cancer treatment during childhood can cause infertility and premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) in some patients [20, 33]. The risk of developing POI is dependent on a number of factors, which include the nature of the underlying disease and the planned therapy. Both chemotherapy and radiotherapy have been shown to affect ovarian function either directly by depleting the primordial follicle pool or indirectly via effects on hormonal regulation of ovarian function.