A new working party report from the Royal Colleges of Physicians, Radiologists, and Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, including specialists in cancer and fertility, recommends that the NHS should fully fund fertility services for patients with cancer.
The report The effects of cancer treatment on reproductive functions; guidance on management recommends that a national policy on sperm, egg and embryo storage is needed and that funding bodies develop equitable funding protocols for patients. In addition, the report stresses the need for patients to be fully informed of the risks of treatment at the time of diagnosis, including written information, and says psychological support and counselling should be available.
Dr Ben Mead, chair of the working party said: “Techniques are available, or in development, to store sperm, eggs, embryos or even parts of an ovary that can then restore fertility after treatment. What is lacking is a uniform national strategy – leaving the present arrangements as analogous to postcode prescribing. It is time for action nationally to deal with this distressing problem.”
Dr Michael Williams, vice president of the Royal College of Radiologists, said: “Sperm freezing is well established, simple and effective. It should be available to all, as recommended by three reports from NICE, and there should be a national strategy to fund other options for patients.”
