Addressing Fertility Issues with Female Cancer Patients

解决女性癌症患者的生育问题

• 批准号: 7047673
• 负责人: SUSAN M ALLEN
• 金额: $ 14.86万
• 依托单位: BROWN UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-02-01 至 2008-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7047673
• 关键词: chemotherapy; clinical research; female; fertility; neoplasm /cancer

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Although cancer is often thought of as a disease of the elderly, a substantial minority of women with cancer are diagnosed in their pre-menopausal years. Approximately 40% of such women experience transition to menopause or other treatment-associated problems with fertility. Loss of fertility through cancer is one of the most traumatic side effects experienced by younger women with cancer. Despite the importance of this issue to women's lives following cancer, oncologists do not always discuss the fertility-related side effects of chemotherapy with pre-menopausal women prior to initiating treatment. There is currently no national data indicating the scope of this problem, or the reasons underlying it. The overall objective of this developmental study is to design and implement a national survey of oncologists to fill this gap in knowledge. This data will be used to inform the development of an intervention to encourage and assist oncologists in providing information to women regarding treatment-associated fertility issues prior to initiating treatment, and in referring interested women to appropriate specialists to learn about the reproductive treatment options that may be available to them. Study aims are: 1)To determine oncologists' knowledge about the potential fertility-related side-effects of chemotherapy treatment for pre-menopausal women with cancer and the effect of such side effects on the quality of life of female cancer survivors. Also, to determine oncologists' knowledge of women's fertility treatment options; 2) To determine perceived physician barriers to discussing fertility-related issues with women prior to treatment initiation; 3) To identify the characteristics of pre- menopausal women that decrease the likelihood that physicians will raise fertility issues with them; and 4) To identify the characteristics of oncologists who are least knowledgeable about the potential side-effects of chemotherapy treatment and/or who perceive barriers to discussing fertility related issues prior to treatment initiation, to inform intervention targeting efforts. The public health benefits of addressing the issue of physician-patient communication about fertility issues relevant to women with cancer in their reproductive years may include greater use of chemotherapeutic drugs that are not fertility impairing and also greater access to reproductive health counseling. An indirect benefit would be enhancement of the quality of life of this population of cancer survivors.

描述（由申请人提供）：虽然癌症通常被认为是老年人的疾病，但相当少数患有癌症的女性是在绝经前被诊断出来的。大约 40% 的此类女性经历过更年期或其他与治疗相关的生育问题。癌症导致的生育能力丧失是患有癌症的年轻女性所经历的最痛苦的副作用之一。尽管这个问题对癌症后妇女的生活很重要，但肿瘤学家并不总是在开始治疗之前与绝经前妇女讨论化疗与生育相关的副作用。目前没有国家数据表明该问题的范围或其根本原因。这项发展研究的总体目标是设计和实施一项全国肿瘤学家调查，以填补这一知识空白。这些数据将用于为干预措施的制定提供信息，以鼓励和协助肿瘤学家在开始治疗之前向妇女提供有关与治疗相关的生育问题的信息，并将感兴趣的妇女转介给适当的专家，以了解她们可能可以获得的生殖治疗选择。研究目的是： 1) 确定肿瘤学家对绝经前癌症女性化疗潜在的生育相关副作用的了解，以及这些副作用对女性癌症幸存者生活质量的影响。此外，确定肿瘤学家对女性生育治疗方案的了解； 2) 确定医生在治疗开始前与女性讨论生育相关问题时遇到的障碍； 3) 确定绝经前女性的特征，以降低医生向她们提出生育问题的可能性； 4) 确定对化疗潜在副作用知之甚少和/或在治疗开始前讨论生育相关问题存在障碍的肿瘤学家的特征，为干预目标工作提供信息。解决医患沟通与育龄期癌症女性相关的生育问题的公共健康益处可能包括更多地使用不会损害生育能力的化疗药物，以及更多地获得生殖健康咨询。间接的好处是提高癌症幸存者的生活质量。