Oncofertility Consortium
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The Oncofertility Consortium is an international, multi-institutional group that assesses the impact of cancer and its treatment on reproductive health. Founded by Dr. Teresa Woodruff in 2007, its primary mission is to expand fertility options for cancer survivors. It has since expanded this mission to include non-oncologic conditions that affect fertility, including differences of sex development, gender-affirming treatment, and transfusion-dependent thalassemia. The term oncofertility refers to an interdisciplinary field that bridges
oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's Etymology, etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγ ...
, reproduction, and women’s health research for the purpose of exploring and expanding options for the reproductive future of
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
patients. Clinical care for such patients may include
fertility preservation Fertility preservation is the effort to help cancer patients retain their fertility, or ability to procreate. Research into how cancer, ageing and other health conditions effect reproductive health and preservation options are growing. Specifically ...
prior to medical interventions as well as family planning, complex contraception, and hormonal management across the
cancer survivor A cancer survivor is a person with cancer of any type who is still living. Whether a person becomes a survivor at the time of diagnosis or after completing treatment, whether people who are actively dying are considered survivors, and whether ...
's lifespan. The term was coined in 2006 by Dr. Woodruff, at the
Feinberg School of Medicine The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, formerly Northwestern Medical School from 1906 to 2002, is the medical school of Northwestern University and is located in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Founded in ...
(
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
). Woodruff is the Thomas J. Watkins Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Feinberg.


History

Cancer research has blossomed significantly since the signing of the National Cancer Act in 1971. With greater support for clinical and basic science research in cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment, which was conducted by the newly developed
National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...
(NCI), cancer survival rates rose rapidly. Currently, 75% of pediatric cancer patients survive. Thus, support for the NCI and its affiliates has greatly improved the quality of life for a large number of cancer patients. However, despite new hope for survival, many men, women, and children diagnosed with cancer experience impaired reproductive function as a result of the rigorous therapies they undergo as part of their cancer treatment and, thus, face unique challenges in planning their lives after cancer.


Research

The development of Oncofertility has been expedited in response to the increasing number of cancer survivors facing
infertility In biology, infertility is the inability of a male and female organism to Sexual reproduction, reproduce. It is usually not the natural state of a healthy organism that has reached sexual maturity, so children who have not undergone puberty, whi ...
after cancer treatment. 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 The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...
(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 considerations of fertility after cancer today.


Oncofertility Consortium

At the core of this new program is the Oncofertility Consortium, a multi-institutional project to assess the impact of cancer and its treatment on reproductive health. The Consortium brings together biomedical and social scientists, oncologists, pediatricians, engineers, educators, social workers, medical ethicists and more from Northwestern, the University of California-San Diego,
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
,
University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...
and
Oregon Health & Science University Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a public university, public research university, research university focusing primarily on health sciences with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland, Oregon. The institution was founded ...
, as well as numerous satellite institutions. This team of specialists is engaged in a thorough examination of the scientific, medical, psychological, legal and ethical issues surrounding infertility and cancer, with the goal of providing better cancer care and fertility options in the future.


Young Women in Cancer Research Oncofertility Academy

The Young Women in Cancer Research Oncofertility Academy is an education program for girls that teaches the various disciplines associated with oncofertility. It is in session for two days a week over a course of six weeks in the summer. The students are chosen through BEWiSE (Better Education for Women in Science and Engineering), a program of the San Diego Science Alliance (SDSA). Only twelve girls are selected, and they must be heading into either their sophomore or junior year in high school. The girls learn from various doctors and scientists during the Saturday Sessions, and discuss and read articles during the Wednesday sessions.


Oncofertility Saturday Academy

Oncofertility Saturday Academy (OSA) is a science program designed to engage a diverse population of high school girls from Chicago and San Diego to explore the basic science, clinical applications, and career options in reproductive science, cancer biology, and oncofertility. OSA was initiated in 2007 by the Northwestern University and Young Women's Leadership Charter School (YWLCS) of Chicago Science Partnership. OSA consists of seven modules that navigate the high school girls to authentically experience the translational nature of science.


References

*{{cite book , last = Woodruff , first = Teresa K. , author2=Karrie Ann Snyder , title = Oncofertility: Fertility Preservation for Cancer Survivors (Cancer Treatment and Research) , publisher = Springer , location = Chicago , year = 2007


External links

More information on Oncofertility can be found at:
The Oncofertility ConsortiumNow Providing Telehealth Visits , Kutluk Oktay, MD, PhD, FACOG: Infertility & Fertility Preservation Specialist New York, NY & New Haven, CT: Innovation Fertility Preservation and IVFWomen's Health Research Institute
Cancer organizations based in the United States Fertility Medical and health organizations based in Illinois