What can the doctor do to protect my partner's fertility?

Radiation and chemotherapy can put your future fertility at risk. There are many strategies for preserving fertility that are available before beginning cancer treatment, some of which are offered by fertility specialists. There are also ways your oncologist can protect your fertility during surgery or during cancer treatment. They are:

WOMEN

Ovarian Shielding

Before beginning radiation therapy, the oncologist will evaluate the potential effect of the therapy on normal tissues that are near the cancer. The doctor will determine the optimal area to treat, and whether normal tissues or highly sensitive tissues, such as the ovaries, can be shielded to reduce the amount of radiation exposure. This is standard practice at most radiation therapy facilities.

Dose Fractination

The oncologist will also determine the dose of radiation that is needed to kill the cancer while minimizing the toxic effect on nearby normal tissues or sensitive tissues. This is also standard practice at most radiation treatment facilities.

Ovarian Transposition

Surgeons can move the ovaries away from the area receiving radiation therapy. The goal of the surgery is to move the ovaries within the pelvis where they can still function, but will be out of the way of harmful radiation.

The surgery is either performed in conjunction with another planned cancer surgery or as an independent minimally invasive procedure with laparoscopy. In laparoscopic surgery, surgeons make a few small incisions and insert a telescope (aka laparoscope) and surgical instruments into the abdomen.

Recovery times vary, but on average, recovery takes between 2 days and 2 weeks. Most women who were healthy prior to their diagnosis are able to begin cancer treatment within the two-week recovery time, in a timeframe that is acceptable to their oncologist.

Women who have had the surgery, while retaining their ovaries and their function, may still need the help of an infertility specialist for future reproduction. Also note that ovarian transposition does not protect the ovaries from the whole-body effects of chemotherapy when used in conjunction with radiation therapy.

MEN

Testicular Shielding

Before beginning radiation therapy, the oncologist will evaluate the potential effect of the therapy on normal tissues that are near the cancer. The doctor will determine the optimal area to treat, and whether normal tissues or highly sensitive tissues, such as the testes, can be shielded to reduce the amount of radiation exposure. This is standard practice at most radiation therapy facilities.

Dose Fractination

The oncologist will determine the dose of radiation that is needed to kill the cancer while minimizing the toxic effect on nearby normal tissues or sensitive tissues, such as the testicles and sperm. This is also standard practice at most radiation treatment facilities.