Fertility preservation in young breast cancer patients: A population-based study.

Abstract

90 Background: Treatment-related infertility is an important cause of distress in young women with breast cancer (YWBC) that is preventable by fertility preservation (FP) prior to initiating therapy. This study assesses FP service use by YWBC in Quebec (Canada). Methods: Administrative claims for women ≤ 40 diagnosed between 01-04-2012 and 31-03-2018 were identified using Quebec’s universal health services database (RAMQ). Access to and use of FP services were ascertained by identifying claims for a visit with an obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN) ≤ 90 days of diagnosis, followed by claims for ovarian stimulation, ovule harvesting or artificial insemination. Patient, disease and treatment-related predictors were estimated using logistic regression. Results: 1 616 YWBC were treated. Mean age was 36 (SD 4.1), 72.1% had a CCI = 0, 84.5% were urban residents, and 72.2% experienced some form of socioeconomical disadvantages. Stage distribution was: 0.93%, 68.8, and 30.3% for stages 0, 1-2, and 3 respectively. 53.0% had a mastectomy, 40.8% received chemotherapy (CT), 70.7% received radiotherapy, 20.9% initiated anti-estrogen therapy. 387 YWBC consulted an OB/GYN within 90 days of diagnosis and 155 subsequently received FP services. Predictors associated with FP use included: decreased age (OR= 0.82, 95CI = 0.79-0.86), type of surgery (OR = 0.46, CI = 0.22-0.97), social isolation (OR =1.39, 95CI = 0.99-1.96) and receipt of chemotherapy (OR = 1.74, 95CI = 1.10-2.76). Conclusions: Only 23.9% of eligible YWBC in Quebec accessed FP specialists. Of these, 40.1% chose to move forward with FP. These findings raise important questions on how to optimize access to FP expertise. [Table: see text]