Paediatric Cancer

Abstract

This chapter describes prevalence and risk factors for fertility impairment and adequate fertility preservation in children and adolescents with cancer. As an increasing number of childhood cancer patients survive their disease, treatment-related late effects become more relevant. One-third of girls and boys diagnosed with cancer will suffer from infertility in adulthood. This number dramatically increases following intensified chemotherapy or total body irradiation, with two-thirds and more being affected by fertility disorders. Due to the type of cancers and the urgency of cancer treatment in the majority of children and adolescents with newly diagnosed cancers, fertility preservation is additionally challenging and needs to be discussed in an interdisciplinary team to best organize procedures—always taking patients and families’ needs into account