TY - JOUR
T1 - Fertility discussions in young adult stage III colorectal cancer population
T2 - a single-center institution experience
AU - Rogers, Jane E.
AU - Woodard, Terri L.
AU - Dasari, Arvind
AU - Kee, Bryan
AU - Das, Prajnan
AU - Bednarski, Brian K.
AU - Skibber, John M.
AU - Rodriguez-Bigas, Miguel A.
AU - Eng, Cathy
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - Purpose: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignancy that usually occurs in older age individuals. However, CRC cases in young adults are on the rise, and this increase is expected to continue. Young adult CRC requires the healthcare team to familiarize themselves with the unique needs of this population, including concerns about treatment-related infertility. We performed a retrospective review to determine how often our patients, 18–39 years old (yo), had discussions regarding fertility preservation prior to starting stage III CRC treatment. Methods: Our electronic health record was utilized to identify adult patients < 40 yo with a stage III CRC diagnosis during 1/1/2015–9/1/2019. Fertility preservation discussions were determined by searching the patient’s EHR chart. Progress notes from the medical oncology, surgery, and/or radiation oncology teams were reviewed. Additionally, notes from our fertility specialist’s team were reviewed when consulted. Results: One hundred and three patients met criteria. Patients were 21–39 yo at diagnosis (median age of 34 yo). Fifty-two percent were male while the remaining 48% were female. Forty-six percent had stage III colon cancer while 54% had stage III rectal cancer. Search terms and progress notes were utilized to determine if discussions were documented. Fertility discussions were documented in 73% of cases while 27% of patients lacked documentation regarding fertility. Conclusion: Our results show that most of our young adult stage III CRC population participate in fertility preservation discussions. However, in order to capture all patients, we recognize that a more formal approach is warranted. We additionally recommend these discussions occur with all patients of child-bearing age.
AB - Purpose: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignancy that usually occurs in older age individuals. However, CRC cases in young adults are on the rise, and this increase is expected to continue. Young adult CRC requires the healthcare team to familiarize themselves with the unique needs of this population, including concerns about treatment-related infertility. We performed a retrospective review to determine how often our patients, 18–39 years old (yo), had discussions regarding fertility preservation prior to starting stage III CRC treatment. Methods: Our electronic health record was utilized to identify adult patients < 40 yo with a stage III CRC diagnosis during 1/1/2015–9/1/2019. Fertility preservation discussions were determined by searching the patient’s EHR chart. Progress notes from the medical oncology, surgery, and/or radiation oncology teams were reviewed. Additionally, notes from our fertility specialist’s team were reviewed when consulted. Results: One hundred and three patients met criteria. Patients were 21–39 yo at diagnosis (median age of 34 yo). Fifty-two percent were male while the remaining 48% were female. Forty-six percent had stage III colon cancer while 54% had stage III rectal cancer. Search terms and progress notes were utilized to determine if discussions were documented. Fertility discussions were documented in 73% of cases while 27% of patients lacked documentation regarding fertility. Conclusion: Our results show that most of our young adult stage III CRC population participate in fertility preservation discussions. However, in order to capture all patients, we recognize that a more formal approach is warranted. We additionally recommend these discussions occur with all patients of child-bearing age.
KW - Colorectal neoplasms
KW - Fertility
KW - Fertility preservation
KW - Young adult
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85106701436&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00520-021-06309-3
DO - 10.1007/s00520-021-06309-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 34050401
AN - SCOPUS:85106701436
SN - 0941-4355
VL - 29
SP - 7351
EP - 7354
JO - Supportive Care in Cancer
JF - Supportive Care in Cancer
IS - 12
ER -