Fertility risk in pediatric and adolescent cancers.

Recent diagnostic and therapeutic advances in pediatric oncology have led to greater survival rates in children with malignancies. However, while childhood and adolescent cancer therapies improve long-term survival, such treatments may lead to abnormal pubertal development, infertility, and gonadal failure. As more children and young adults survive childhood cancer and lead productive lives, these concerns are becoming increasingly important. Clinicians and researchers must be aware of current research in the area of fertility preservation in order to best guide patients through cancer treatment towards a healthy, fulfilled life. This chapter will review the effects of cancer treatments on reproductive potential, describe current methods of monitoring reproductive potential, and describe the fertility-sparing options available to young cancer patients of reproductive age. Specific attention will be paid to gaps in research pertinent to this topic.