JOURNAL OF SHANGHAI JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY (MEDICAL SCIENCE) ›› 2021, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (1): 82-88.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8115.2021.01.015

• Public health • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Survey of perception on fertility preservation of male cancer patients

Feng-chun ZHANG1,2(), Shuo-yuan ZHANG3(), Tian-en CHEN3, Hai-yan XU1, Yue MA3, Zhao-nan LIU3(), Ying-chun XU3()   

  1. 1.Department of Oncology, Suzhou Kowloon Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Suzhou 215021, China
    2.Department of Oncology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
    3.Department of Oncology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, China
  • Online:2021-01-28 Published:2021-02-22
  • Contact: Zhao-nan LIU,Ying-chun XU E-mail:fczhang2004@163.com;921582735@qq.com;xiaoxu2384@163.com
  • Supported by:
    Funding Information] National Natural Science Foundation of China(81301858);Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(BK20181186);The 12th Innovation Training Program for Students of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine(1218017)

Abstract: Objective

·To analyze the perception of fertility preservation of the male patients with malignant tumors consulted in Grade-A tertiary hospitals in China through questionnaires.

Methods

·From January 1st, 2018 to December 31, 2018, responses from the male cancer patients (≤50 years old) who had been treated in Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine were collected through a questionnaire survey.

Result

·There were 212 male patients diagnosed with malignant tumor with a median age of (34.4±0.5) years in the current study. Among them, 61 (28.8%) were childless, 27 (12.7%) had a brief comprehension of fertility preservation, 28 (13.2%) intended to do fertility preservation, and 87 (41.0%) were aware that chemotherapy and radiotherapy might affect their fertility. Moreover, 27 patients who approximately understand fertility preservation got this knowledge from various ways. Nineteen of them (70.4%) were informed from doctors, 5 (18.5%) from media and 6 (22.2%) from internet. Male patients who have kids tended to refuse fertility preservation (P=0.000). Patients younger than 25 years old in the group were more likely to have children (P=0.046). Those with bachelor degree or above (P=0.006), and those with the desire to preserve fertility (P=0.010) were more likely to understand fertility preservation. Therefore, receiving chemo-radiotherapy (P=0.013) or not as well as having children (P=0.044) or not were two main reasons influencing patients' willingness to choose fertility preservation.

Conclusion

·At present, the majority of male patients with cancer lack of the knowledge of fertility preservation, which may be due to the low literacy level of patients and inadequate publicity of medical workers. Consequently, medical staffs need to enhance the propaganda of fertility preservation, in case that patients with fertility intention lose the chance of reproduction .

Key words: fertility preservation, male, cancer, questionnaire

CLC Number: