Evaluation of the awareness of, attitude to, and knowledge about fertility preservation in cancer patients among clinical practitioners in Hong Kong.

INTRODUCTION: Individuals can be exposed to gonadotoxic agents in the course of treatment for cancers and other medical conditions. Fertility preservation refers to strategies that aim to preserve fertility by protecting it against the damage inflicted by gonadotoxic treatment. Many young patients are prescribed gonadotoxic treatment without prior counselling. This study aimed to study the awareness of, attitude to, and knowledge about fertility preservation among clinicians in Hong Kong.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study carried out between June and December 2016 using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaires were sent to clinicians in the departments of Clinical Oncology, Haematology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics, and Surgery in various public hospitals of Hong Kong.

RESULTS: In this survey, 36.5% (167 of 457) of clinicians responded. Of the respondents, only 45.6% were familiar with fertility preservation. The factors considered most important for referral were, in decreasing order of importance, prognosis of the patient, patient's desire to have children, time available before commencing gonadotoxic treatment, type of cancer, and type of gonadotoxic treatment. The majority of clinicians did not refer their patients for fertility preservation due to a lack of available time before treatment, considerable risk of recurrence, poor prognosis, financial constraints, need for cancer treatment as top priority at the time, and lack of awareness of such service. Almost all agreed that a dedicated centre should be set up for fertility preservation and 76.5% agreed that fertility preservation should be provided as a public service.

CONCLUSION: Awareness among clinical practitioners of fertility preservation remains weak. Education of clinicians and the establishment of a dedicated fertility preservation centre are required.