The Oncofertility Consortium

ESHRE 's Task Force Basic Science in Reproduction (TF-BSR) has organized a First Reflection Day (Jan 24/25 - 2009) on Progress in Ovarian Tissue Culture and Transplantation Advances.

There is a long tradition of research in the field of fertility preservation in Europe and the first baby born from cryo-preserved ovarian tissue was in 2004 in Belgium. Since than, more European Centers have obtained healthy children by using similar transplantation techniques. As transplantation cannot be applied to all type of cancers, efforts are done on In Vitro Culture techniques to obtain the growth of mature oocytes from primordial follicles.

Guidance documents from Fertility and Oncology Societies have put fertility preservation high on their priority list.

Recognizing the need for a multinational multi-center initiative to move this research field forward ESHRE has decided to support an effort of the TF-BSR to bring together expertise to apply for EU funding.

ESHRE as the largest European Society fostering advances in the field of Assisted Reproduction links up to a similar activity in the US where NIH support has already led to the ONCOFERTILITY CONSORTIUM initiative. US scientists colleagues, who were present at ESHRE's Reflection Day in Brussels have kindly offered to link to their initiative to solve common problems and to reduce time of development to strong technologies in this field.

The Oncofertility Consortium hosts a research and clinician website that provides information about the latest research and clinical options for young women with cancer. The Oncofertility Consortium is a network of researchers, physicians, and scholars advancing fertility preservation options for young cancer patients. This consortium provides the opportunity for the global community to develop 'best practices' for young cancer patients. ‘Mature’ technologies for both men (sperm banking) and women (hormonal intervention followed by embryo cryopreservation) exist for cancer patients concerned about future fertility, but structural barriers between practices limit patient access. Moreover, there are few options for young women who must not delay cancer treatment and for women and girls who are unable to undergo hormonal intervention. Recent advances in ovarian tissue transplantation and in vitro follicle maturation offer new opportunities for fertility management. Social implications are addressed as part of the fabric of this work, providing new prospective ways of thinking about emerging reproductive technologies. By unifying clinical teams in the U.S. and Europe at the intersection of oncology and reproductive medicine and by using discovery research to create the next generation of reproductive interventions, this trans-disciplinary team is working to ensure that young cancer survivors are provided the best information and methods to protect their options for future families.

Oncofertility Main Site: http://oncofertility.northwestern.edu/

They also host a patient-facing site that provides information about fertility options for patients called MyOncofertility. The site includes short answers to common questions, easy to understand animations about normal fertility and the methods for preserving fertility, and patient and provider videos. Because parents and partners are also often involved in the decision-making about fertility management options, the site includes information for both of these groups.

Patient Facing Oncofertility Site: http://www.myoncofertility.org/