Jf. Apperley et N. Reddy, MECHANISM AND MANAGEMENT OF TREATMENT-RELATED GONADAL FAILURE IN RECIPIENTS OF HIGH-DOSE CHEMORADIOTHERAPY, Blood reviews, 9(2), 1995, pp. 93-116
For the last two decades, the use of bone marrow transplantation for l
eukaemia, and most recently for lymphomas and other cancers, has incre
ased dramatically and all of the systemic chemotherapy or radiotherapy
used in these patients has a potential for causing infertility. This
review describes the normal reproductive function of relevance to pati
ents at risk of chemotherapy- or radiotherapy-induced infertility. The
mechanism by which fertility may be affected by these agents is also
described and therapeutic strategies for reducing or preventing these
problems are outlined. The treatment of men and women who are infertil
e after chemotherapy or radiotherapy is addressed, as are the ethical
and legal aspects of assisted fertilization.