Fertility preservation provision for breast cancer patients in England – a postcode lottery

Abstract

Introduction: Breast Cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women of a reproductive age, and between 2013-2015 2,194 women under the age of 40 were affected in the UK. Current NICE guidelines state that future fertility should be discussed with patients at diagnosis due to the impact of breast cancer treatments on fertility. These conversations should cover fertility preservation, if appropriate, in the form of oocyte or embryo cryopreservation. Additionally, NICE state that standard eligibility criteria should not be used. Despite this, many Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) who provide funding for fertility treatments in England, do apply eligibility criteria. We undertook this study to identify what differences in eligibility criteria existed across England.