A QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY ON AWARENESS OF REPRODUCTIVE PROTECTION AND AUTOLOGOUS SPERM PRESERVATION AMONG CANCER PATIENTS

Objective The aim of this study was to assess the awareness of fertility protection among male patients and their healthcare providers in the treatment process of cancer. Methods In a cross-sectional study, we applied a questionnaire survey among patients and healthcare providers who were selected randomly: the physician group consisted of oncologists and hematologists, and the patient group included participants with cancer from 15 to 45 years old, who were recruited from hospitals in Qingdao. Meanwhile, data from male cancer patients, who received sperm cryopreservation in our hospital, were also analyzed. Results Data collected from healthcare provider group showed that more than 80% of clinicians warned patients of the fertility impairment along with chemotherapy or other treatments, whereas a few clinicians recommended specific methods for reproductive protection to patients with special attention be paid to the follow-up fertility result. In patient group, more than 50% indicated they would accept the loss of fertility caused by cancer therapies. The rate of awareness of sperm cryopreservation, as an effective way of reproductive protection, was low among both physician and patient groups. In the past 3 years, only 63 samples of semen from 54 cancer patients were cryopreserved in our hospital. Conclusion The awareness of reproductive protection in both physicians and cancer patients was not satisfied in Qingdao, China, and this finding indicates a need for comprehensive health education and practical protocols for both patients and healthcare providers in terms of reproductive protection for male patients with cancers.