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World
Cancer Day: Preserve Fertility Before Cancer Treatment, Here’s How To Do
A group of oncologists and doctors is marking
the World Cancer Day with a pledge to preserve fertility. A global initiative,
led by Union for International Cancer Control, World Cancer Day is observed
every year on 4th February to raise awareness, educate and promote personal,
collective, and government action to save millions of preventable cancer
deaths.
This
World Cancer Day, oncologists and doctors at HCG Cancer Hospital and Milann
Fertility have come together for the digital campaign
#PledgeToPreserveFertility to #CloseTheCareGap to raise awareness amongst
people diagnosed with cancer. The purpose of the campaign is to educate people
so that they can make informed choices to preserve their fertility before they begin cancer
treatments, they said.
Talking
about the #PledgeToPreserveFertility campaign, Dr. Vishal Rao, Country Director
- Head Neck Surgical Oncology & Robotic Surgery at HCG Cancer Centre
Bengaluru, who is also spearheading the digital campaign said, "In the
global fight against cancer,
there is an urgent need to define targets and timelines to address and close
the care gaps. One such significant and neglected aspect is fertility and
cancer."
While advances in the
diagnosis and treatment of cancer have significantly increased the survival
rates for many cancers, many people are unable to effectively access adequate
care to fertility in most countries around the world, even when the
infrastructure and expertise exist, Dr. Rao highlighted.
He
elaborated, "This is the "equity gap" and it is costing lives.
(In)equity and (in)equality have both been pertinent to aspect of fertility and
cancer care. Equality = Sameness. Inequality refers to the uneven distribution
of resources. Equity = Fairness. Inequity means unjust, avoidable differences
in care or outcomes."
Dr.
Rao believes that the #PledgeToPreserveFertility campaign taken by HCG and
Milaan will play a key role in addressing the inequality in access to fertility
care that exists between populations and areas and "will go a long way in
ensuring radical healthcare transformations at the community level."
Talking about the
awareness campaign, Dr. Kamini A. Rao, a Padma Shri awardee and Founder and Chief
Mentor of Milann, said, "We are glad to be associated with HCG for the
campaign and spread awareness amongst people. We understand the power of
working together for the cause and educating people about the life-threatening
disease and being able to help them in understanding the issue in a better
way".
The
experts pointed out that a lot of people diagnosed with cancer do not know that
cancer treatments can adversely impact their ability to have children and when
they find out, it's often too late.
In
women, chemotherapy and radiation can lead to
premature ovarian failure. Reproductive organs may be permanently damaged in
some cases. For men, chemotherapy and radiation can lower sperm counts or
decrease sperm movement, leading to difficulty causing a pregnancy. While sperm
counts may rebound, it may take months or years they explained.
Depending
on age, gender and type of cancer, and treatment there will be many options
before the patient. The most common fertility preservation methods for adults
include Sperm Cryopreservation, Oocyte Cryopreservation, and Embryo Cryopreservation.
Through
#PledgeToPreserveFertility campaign, Milann aims to educate and spread
awareness about preserving fertility amongst cancer patients who are undergoing
cancer treatments.
In light of World Cancer Day's theme of closing the care gap, Milann is also offering patients diagnosed with cancer the benefit of the first year of cryopreservation free. Cryopreservation is the process where biological material - cells, tissues, or organs - are frozen to preserve them for an extended period of time.
