Effect of First Line Cancer Treatment on the Ovarian Reserve and Follicular Density in Girls Under the Age of 18 Years

摘要

Over the last several decades, the late-effect mortality fromall causes has significantly decreased among 5-year survivors of childhood cancer. This increased survival is largely due to the development of effective chemotherapeutic regimens and radiotherapy. Because children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer can survive into adulthood and may be cured, there is now an awareness of quality of life among young female survivors. Successful treatment may compromise fertility after recovery. When ovarian activity is lost and premature ovarian insufficiency occurs, the only available option for prepubertal girls to preserve their fertility is to cryopreserve ovarian tissue. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) should be considered with use of a first-line treatment, which at present is considered to cause only a mild gonadotoxic insult and to have little effect on the follicle pool. Among prepubertal and adolescent girls, the effect of a first-line cancer treatment on their fertility potential is unknown. Only limited data are available about ovarian volume and follicle distribution in this population.