Fertility Challenges and Solutions in Women with Cancer

This book, written by global experts in the field, provides a thorough overview on fertility and pregnancy challenges and solutions in women who are being or have been treated for cancer. The book addresses several topics, including pregnancy outcomes after a cancer diagnosis, the impacts of systemic anticancer therapy on fertility, the essentials of fertility preservation approaches in cancer patients, and fertility counseling. This is in addition to controversial topics like the role of ovarian stimulation in breast cancer patients, fertility preservation in cancer patients with BRCA mutation and the evolving role of GnRH analogues. Within this context, key open questions are discussed with reference to the latest evidence. The aim is to provide clinicians with a reliable resource that documents the most up-to-date knowledge on the feasibility and safety of the different approaches to fertility preservation and on the management of female cancer patients who would like to preserve fertility and achieve a pregnancy following their treatment.

Hatem A. Azim Jr. is a medical oncologist, an Adjunct Professor of medical oncology at the School of Medicine of the Monterrey Institute of Technology and the American University of Beirut. He also serves as faculty for the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the European School of Oncology (ESO). He holds a Master’s Degree in Oncology from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, and a PhD from the Faculty of Medicine at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium. Dr. Azim is a renowned researcher in the field of breast cancer in young women and its relation to pregnancy and fertility. He has published more than 120 peer-reviewed articles, contributed to 10 books and been an invited speaker at all the major oncology conferences. In recognition to his research activities, Dr. Azim has received the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Merit Award, the ESMO translational research award and the University of Padua Breast Cancer Research Award.

Isabelle Demeestere is a gynaecologist at the fertility Clinic in Erasme Hospital (Brussels, Belgium) and the Director of the Research Laboratory on Human Reproduction at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). After earning a PhD in fertility preservation for cancer patients, she completed her research training at McGill University, Canada and became research associate at the FNRS. She was among the earliest innovators in fertility preservation field and is responsible for the oncofertility unit at Erasme Hospital. She is a member of several scientific societies and author or co-author of over 60 articles and book’s chapters in the field.

Fedro Alessandro Peccatori, MD PhD is specialist in Medical Oncology and Obstetrics & Gynecology. He acts as Director of the Fertility and Pregnancy Unit at the European Institute of Oncology (IEO) and Scientific Director of the European School of Oncology (ESO) Milan, Italy. Fertility and pregnancy issues in young women with cancer are his main research interests. He has published more than 190 peer-reviewed articles in International Journals and has been editor or author of more that 10 books on cancer and reproduction. He's been invited as speaker for ASCO,  ESGO and ESMO, where he's part of the Adolescent and Young Adults working group.