Perceptions of risk of infertility among male survivors of childhood cancer: A report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study Journal Article


Authors: Gilleland Marchak, J.; Seidel, K. D.; Mertens, A. C.; Ritenour, C. W. M.; Wasilewski-Masker, K.; Leisenring, W. M.; Sklar, C. A.; Ford, J. S.; Krull, K. R.; Stovall, M.; Robison, L. L.; Armstrong, G. T.; Meacham, L. R.
Article Title: Perceptions of risk of infertility among male survivors of childhood cancer: A report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The objective of the current study was to characterize and identify factors associated with perceptions of risk of infertility among adult male survivors of childhood cancer. METHODS: A total of 1233 adult male survivors from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study who were without a history of disease recurrence or subsequent malignancy reported their perceptions of their risk of infertility compared with men never diagnosed with cancer. Survivors were a median age of 37.8 years (range, 22.0-58.7 years) and were 28.4 years from their diagnosis (range, 21.4-39.2 years). Multivariable logistic regression evaluated factors associated with perceptions of risk. RESULTS: Overall, 35.9% of the survivors (443 of 1233 survivors) reported perceptions of their risk of infertility that were discordant with their actual risk based on previous cancer treatment exposures. Discordant perceptions were equally common among men exposed to gonadotoxic therapies (36.3%; 311 of 857 men) and those with no history of gonadotoxic exposure (35.1%; 132 of 376 men). Survivors who fathered children (odds ratio [OR], 4.14; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 2.74-6.24), had no survivor-focused health care (OR, 3.07; 95% CI, 1.57-5.99), were nonwhite (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.10-4.75), and were of lower income were more likely to report no increased risk of infertility after gonadotoxic treatment. Perceptions of increased risk of infertility among men with no history of gonadotoxic treatment were predicted by never having fathered a child (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.17-3.03), recent participation in survivor-focused health care (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.01-4.42), and higher educational achievement. CONCLUSIONS: Many male survivors of childhood cancer are unaware of how their cancer treatments could impact their reproductive health, underscoring the need for all patients to receive education regarding their risk of infertility throughout the continuum of cancer care. Cancer 2018;124:2447-55. © 2018 American Cancer Society. © 2018 American Cancer Society
Keywords: childhood cancer; infertility; survivors; health knowledge
Journal Title: Cancer
Volume: 124
Issue: 11
ISSN: 0008-543X
Publisher: Wiley Blackwell  
Date Published: 2018-06-01
Start Page: 2447
End Page: 2455
Language: English
DOI: 10.1002/cncr.31343
PROVIDER: scopus
PMCID: PMC5992044
PUBMED: 29663341
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Export Date: 2 July 2018 -- Source: Scopus
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  1. Charles A Sklar
    322 Sklar
  2. Jennifer S Ford
    63 Ford