Oncofertility
Encyclopedia
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
and women’s health research for the purpose of exploring and expanding options for the reproductive future of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
patients. The term was coined in 2006 by Dr. Teresa Woodruff, at the Feinberg School of Medicine (Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
). Woodruff is the Thomas J. Watkins Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Feinberg.
History
Cancer research has blossomed significantly since the signing of the National Cancer Act in 1971. With greater support for clinical and basic science research in cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment, which was conducted by the newly-developed National Cancer InstituteNational Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health , which is one of 11 agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the U.S...
(NCI), cancer survival rates rose rapidly. Currently, 75% of pediatric cancer patients survive. Thus, support for the NCI and its affiliates has greatly improved the quality of life for a large number of cancer patients.
However, despite new hope for survival, many men, women, and children diagnosed with cancer experience impaired reproductive function as a result of the rigorous therapies they undergo as part of their cancer treatment and, thus, face unique challenges in planning their lives after cancer.
Research
The development of Oncofertility has been expedited in response to the increasing number of cancer survivors facing infertilityInfertility
Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a person to contribute to conception. Infertility may also refer to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term...
after cancer treatment. To support the initiative to understand the risk of cancer therapies to reproductive health and to develop fertility-preserving options for new patients, the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
(NIH) has just awarded a 21 million dollar grant devoted to Oncofertility research. It will fund the development of fertility-saving medical techniques, such as ovarian tissue cryopreservation, and will help launch the first comprehensive investigation into the social considerations of fertility after cancer today.
Oncofertility Consortium
At the core of this new program is the Oncofertility Consortium, a multi-institutional project to assess the impact of cancer and its treatment on reproductive health. The Consortium brings together biomedical and social scientists, oncologists, pediatricians, engineers, educators, social workers, medical ethicists and more from Northwestern, the University of California-San Diego, University of Pennsylvania, University of Missouri and Oregon Health & Science University, as well as numerous satellite institutions. This team of specialists is engaged in a thorough examination of the scientific, medical, psychological, legal and ethical issues surrounding infertility and cancer, with the goal of providing better cancer care and fertility options in the future.Young Women in Cancer Research Oncofertility Academy
The Young Women in Cancer Research Oncofertility Academy is an education program for girls that teaches the various disciplines associated with oncofertility. It is in session for two days a week over a course of six weeks in the summer. The students are chosen through BEWiSE (Better Education for Women in Science and Engineering), a program of the San Diego Science Alliance (SDSA). Only twelve girls are selected, and they must be heading into either their sophomore or junior year in high school. The girls learn from various doctors and scientists during the Saturday Sessions, and discuss and read articles during the Wednesday sessions.Oncofertility Saturday Academy
Oncofertility Saturday Academy (OSA) is a science program designed to engage a diverse population of high school girls from Chicago and San Diego to explore the basic science, clinical applications, and career options in reproductive science, cancer biology, and oncofertility. OSA was initiated in 2007 by the Northwestern University and Young Women's Leadership Charter School (YWLCS) of Chicago Science Partnership. OSA consists of seven modules that navigate the high school girls to authentically experience the translational nature of science.External links
More information on Oncofertility can be found at:- http://oncofertility.northwestern.edu
- http://myoncofertility.org
- http://fertilitypreservation.org
- http://www.medschool.northwestern.edu/newsworthy/past-years/2007/2007D-September/oncofertility.html
- http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/health/10-0721MillionToPreserveFertilityJC-.asp
- http://www.ohsu.edu/ohsuedu/newspub/releases/091107fertility.cfm
- http://pennhealth.com/obgyn/gynonc_news/fall07/oncofertility.html
- http://whsp.northwestern.edu/osa/about-osa