Young cancer patients face 'inequality in fertility care'
A professor from Leeds says urgent action is required to ensure that NHS funding is available for all
A report, written by a professor from Leeds, states children and young people with cancer face a postcode lottery for services to preserve their fertility.
One in five young people who have cancer are likely to experience fertility problems as adults as a result of the disease or treatment.
Clinical guidelines recommend freezing or storage of ovarian tissue or eggs, and testicular tissue or sperm is offered to children and teenagers whose fertility may be impaired.
Researcher are now calling for centralised NHS funding to ensure fair and equal care across the UK.
It's after research published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, has revealed a wide variation in the provision and availability of funding for these services across the UK.
Professor Adam Glaser, a specialist in paediatric and adolescent oncology at Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust, is the lead author, he said:
"There's quite a lot of variation in the availability of funding for these interventions, so whilst the services were available, there was quite a heavy relicense on charity and research funding rather than centralised NHS funding.
"Teenagers and the older young people who can still sperm an egg, most of that work is funded by the NHS, but for the younger kids, or the older kids who are too ill, sadly, there was a major reliance on charity funding.
"Charity funding is much more vulnerable, and it feels such a shame and so unnecessary that we are reliant on this charity money."
An NHS spokesperson said:
“Cancer survival rates for children have increased substantially thanks to greater awareness, better access to tests and more lifesaving NHS treatments and all children with cancer should be advised about their options for fertility preservation before treatment begins in line with guidelines set out by NICE.”