Oncofertility

Oncofertility is a term coined in 2006 by Dr. Teresa Woodruff, at the Feinberg School of Medicine (Northwestern University), to describe a new interdisciplinary field that bridges oncology and women’s health research for the purpose of exploring and expanding options for the reproductive future of cancer patients. Woodruff is the Thomas J. Watkins Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Feinberg.

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Research

With an increasing number of cancer survivors facing infertility as a result of their cancer therapies, the development of Oncofertility could not have come at a better time. To support the initiative to understand the risk of cancer therapies to reproductive health and to develop fertility-preserving options for new patients, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has just awarded a 21 million dollar grant devoted to Oncofertility research. It will fund the development of fertility-saving medical techniques, such as ovarian tissue cryopreservation, and will help launch the first comprehensive investigation into the social implications of fertility after cancer today.

Oncofertility Consortium

Another facet of this new program is the development of the Oncofertility Consortium, a multi-institutional project to assess the impact of cancer and its treatment on reproductive health. It will include a team of biomedical and social scientists, oncologists, pediatricians, engineers, educators, social workers, medical ethicists and more from Northwestern, as well as the University of California-San Diego, University of Pennsylvania, University of Missouri and Oregon Health & Science University. This team of specialists will engage in a thorough examination of the scientific, medical, psychological, legal and ethical issues surrounding infertility and cancer.

References

Woodruff, Teresa K.; Karrie Ann Snyder (2007). Oncofertility: Fertility Preservation for Cancer Survivors (Cancer Treatment and Research). Chicago: Springer.