ETHICS COMMITTEE REPORT Fertility preservation and reproduction in cancer patients

t d t d b SUMMARY 1. Physicians should inform cancer patients about options for fertility preservation and future reproduction prior to treatment. 2. The only established methods of fertility preservation are sperm cryopreservation in men and embryo cryopreservation in women. 3. Experimental procedures such as oocyte or ovarian tissue cryopreservation should be offered only in a research setting with IRB oversight. 4. Concerns about the welfare of resulting offspring should not be cause for denying cancer patients assistance in reproducing. 5. Parents may act to preserve fertility of cancer patients who are minors if the child assents and the intervention is likely to provide net benefits to the child. 6. Precise instructions should be given about the disposition of stored gametes, embryos, or gonadal tissue in the event of the patient’s death, unavailability, or other contingency. 7. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis to avoid the birth of offspring with a high risk of inherited cancer is ethically acceptable.