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Fertility preservation in young patients before allogeneic haematopoietic SCT

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 47, pages 313–314 (2012)Cite this article

In a recent paper, Borgmann-Staudt et al.1 reported very interesting data on the fertility status of patients who had received (preparative regimens for) an allogeneic haematopoietic SCT (HSCT) at an early age. Impaired fertility was observed 3–12 years after the treatment, in 69% of male patients and in an even more staggering 83% of female patients.

As the long-term survival rate of patients receiving HSCT increases, quality of life issues, including the possibility to parent children, deservedly gain ever more attention. We therefore fully endorse the authors’ appeal for fertility preservation in this patient group, and appreciate their efforts to raise awareness of this issue in the medical community. We would like to take the opportunity to emphasise that the options for fertility preservation for this group are restricted. To illustrate this notion we would like to supplement their paper with a brief discussion of the available options.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Centre St Radboud, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    L Bastings, J R Westphal, C C M Beerendonk, D D M Braat & R Peek

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  1. L Bastings
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  2. J R Westphal
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  3. C C M Beerendonk
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  4. D D M Braat
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  5. R Peek
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Correspondence to R Peek.

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Bastings, L., Westphal, J., Beerendonk, C. et al. Fertility preservation in young patients before allogeneic haematopoietic SCT. Bone Marrow Transplant 47, 313–314 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2011.235

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