Sexual health and reproductive toxicity from cancer therapies

 David J Benjamina david.benjamin@hoag.org ∙ Mark P Lythgoeb

Communication between health-care professionals and individuals with cancer regarding the effects of treatment on sexual health and fertility has historically been limited. Contemporary studies have revealed that most oncologists agree that addressing sexual function is a key responsibility, but a paucity of time, training, and knowledge are prohibitive factors to providing meaningful counselling.1 With the growing incidence of cancer, particularly among young individuals (eg, colorectal cancer), increased knowledge and awareness of the potential effects of cancer treatment on sexual health and reproductive potential among physicians and individuals is increasingly important. As such, we highlight two examples of potential harms to sexual and reproductive health from cancer drugs and look to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance on the design of future trials to better understand, and possibly mitigate, such effects in the future.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(24)00733-2/abstract