Current Status and Issues of the Japan Oncofertility Registry

J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol. 2023 Aug;12(4):584-591. doi: 10.1089/jayao.2022.0110. Epub 2022 Dec 13.

Abstract

Purpose: Fertility preservation (FP) is becoming increasingly common among child, adolescent, and young-adult (CAYA) patients with cancer. However, Japan has long lacked definite estimates of utilization rates for FP services among CAYA patients with cancer, and little is known about disease/FP outcomes among users. Therefore, the Japan Society for Fertility Preservation (JSFP) launched the Japan Oncofertility Registry (JOFR) in 2018 and started the online registration of information regarding primary disease, FP, and data on prognosis and pregnancy outcomes. This study reports the analytical results of FP data registered in the JOFR as of 2021. Methods: Data about patients' primary disease(s), treatment courses, cancer and pregnancy outcomes, and specific procedures were extracted from the JOFR and analyzed. Results: In 2021, 1244 patients received counseling or treatment related to FP (540 males, 704 females). While the numbers of males in each age group were approximately equal, most females were aged between 31 and 40 years. In total, 490 male and 540 female patients underwent FP procedures. Leukemia, testicular cancer, and malignant lymphoma accounted for the majority of male cases seeking treatment, whereas breast cancer was the primary disease in two-thirds of the females. Since 1999, 395 patients have accumulatively experienced subsequent pregnancy. Conclusions: As of January 2022, >7000 cases from >100 fertility facilities have been registered in the JOFR. In the future, maintaining JOFR to disseminate information on cancer prognoses, pregnancy rates, and other oncofertility outcomes is expected to drive further expansion of oncofertility services in Japan.

Keywords: JOFR; Japan Oncofertility Registry; adolescent and young adult; fertility preservation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Counseling
  • Female
  • Fertility Preservation* / methods
  • Humans
  • Japan
  • Male
  • Neoplasms* / complications
  • Neoplasms* / psychology
  • Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Pregnancy
  • Registries
  • Testicular Neoplasms*