342P - Fertility preservation in young breast cancer patients: Patient's knowledge and perception

Background

This study aimed to assess breast cancer (BC) patients' knowledge and perception of fertility risks and preservation, and to determine factors that impact fertility preservation(FP) patient decision making.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional study including 70 BC patients ≤ 45 year-old. Patients were surveyed using a 29 item questionnaire assessing their personal experience and knowledge about fertility risks and FP treatments. A knowledge score (0-12) was calculated with 1 point awarded for each correct answer. Statistical associations between socio-demographic characteristics, personal experience and knowledge score were analyzed.

Results

Mean age was 34 year-old. Thirty-seven patients had a college degree and 80% were married. Previous pregnancy/live birth were reported in 77%/72% of patients. Twenty-seven percent of patients had prior contact with infertility. Fifty-five patients were informed about infertility risks related to BC treatment. Only 62.8% of patients received information about FP treatments. Thirty-five patients were referred to FP consultation of whom 12 patients received FP treatments. Embryos/oocytes freezing were the main used options. The main reasons for skipping FP treatments were lack of pregnancy desire (38.6%) and insufficient provided information (30%). “Complexity of FP procedure” and “fear of delaying cancer treatment” were reported in 8.6% and 4.3% of cases respectively. Mean knowledge score was 6(3 -11). Forty-six percent of patients believed that “FP treatment is related to an increased risk of cancer recurrence”. Only 61.4% of patients were aware that “freezed eggs remain available in the future whenever the patient is ready to use them”. Most of the patients (81.4%) were aware that having a spouse was not a prerequisite for FP treatment. Knowledge about FP treatments availability and costs was poor with more than half of patients overestimating costs and assuming the lack of FP treatment options. Only 60% of patients were aware of an operational legal framework for FP in Tunisia.

Conclusions

This study showed that FP baseline knowledge in BC patients is generally poor. Patient's access to clear and concise fertility information is the key for effective interventions for fertility preservation.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

The authors.

Funding

Has not received any funding.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.