Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood, adolescent and adult cancer have greatly increased the life expectancy of young women with cancer, but have resulted in a growing population of adolescent and adult long-term survivors of childhood malignancies, who may experience premature ovarian failure (POF) and infertility as a result of aggressive chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments (indicated for both cancer and bone marrow transplantation (BMT)).
Ovaries are very sensitive to cytotoxic treatment, especially to radiation and alkylating agents, which are classified as high risk for gonadal dysfuntion (for review, see Donnez et al., 2006).
Cyclophosphamide is the agent most commonly implicated in causing damage to oocytes and granulosa cells in a dose-dependent manner. This follicular destruction generally results in the loss of both endocrine and reproductive functions, depending on the dose and the age of the patient.

Several options are currently available to preserve fertility in cancer patients and allow them to conceive when they have overcome their disease: embryo cryopreservation, oocyte cryopreservation and ovarian tissue cryopreservation.

In 2006, 1,399,790 new cancer cases were expected in the United States, including 679,540 in women. According to previous reports, 8% of these women would have been under the age of 40. By 2010, it is estimated that one in every 250 adults will be a childhood cancer survivor.
For this reason, a number of gynecologists involved in the research and clinical application of cryopreservation of ovarian tissue (Kim, Gosden and Donnez) decided to create a new society with the help of specialists from all over the world (see Board of Directors). An initial board meeting, held in Boston in 2007, marked the first official step and the Executive Board (Donnez, Meirow, Pasquale and Kim) clearly defined the objectives of the new society, to be called the ISFP (International Society for Fertility Preservation).
Since our main goals are academic and scientific, the website is free of charge and open to all members.
I would like to thank Dr. MM. Dolmans, PhD, who has worked very hard to get this site up and running.

Jacques Donnez, 1st President of the ISFP