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Management of fertility preservation in young breast cancer patients in a large breast cancer centre

  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The increase of breast cancer in young women under 40 years and the increasing age of women at the time of the birth of their first child underlines the importance to implement counselling for fertility-preserving strategies in the management of breast cancer care. We present the fertility-preserving procedures performed after routine counselling for primary breast cancer patients in a large certified breast cancer centre.

Materials and methods

Since November 2006, patients aged below 40 years with histologically confirmed breast cancer are routinely counselled on fertility-preserving possibilities before breast surgery and chemotherapy in the fertility centre of the University Women’s Hospital in Tuebingen. The recommendations are based on the treatment recommendations of the network FertiPROTEKT.

Results

During the last 40 months, 56 primary breast cancer patients were counselled. Forty-one of these patients were hormone receptor positive. Thirty-four patients (63%) underwent fertility-preserving strategies. The majority of the patients (n = 22) decided on ovarian tissue cryopreservation. GnRH protection was performed in 14 patients. In 12 patients an ovarian stimulation protocol was initiated to cryopreserve fertilized or unfertilized oocytes. A combination of different fertility-preserving methods was performed in 12 patients.

Conclusions

The preservation of ovarian function and fertility are of great importance to young breast cancer patients. Counselling on fertility-preserving strategies is therefore critical in these patients and should be routinely performed.

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Abbreviations

CMF:

Cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, fluorouracil

FEC:

Fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide

FAC:

Fluorouracil, adriamycin, cyclophosphamide

EC:

Epirubicin, cyclophosphamide

AC:

Adriamycin, cyclophosphamide

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Acknowledgments

We are greatly indebted to Mrs. Elizabeth Kraemer for reviewing our manuscript.

Conflict of interest statement

We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tuebingen, Calwer Str. 7, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    B. Lawrenz, E. Neunhoeffer, M. Henes, S. Lessmann-Bechle, B. Krämer & Tanja Fehm

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  1. B. Lawrenz
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  2. E. Neunhoeffer
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  3. M. Henes
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  4. S. Lessmann-Bechle
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  5. B. Krämer
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  6. Tanja Fehm
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tanja Fehm.

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Lawrenz, B., Neunhoeffer, E., Henes, M. et al. Management of fertility preservation in young breast cancer patients in a large breast cancer centre. Arch Gynecol Obstet 282, 547–551 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-010-1523-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-010-1523-0

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