A Cross Canada Survey of Sperm Banking Practices in Pediatric Oncology Centers

Background Childhood cancer survivors have identified fertility preservation as a major concern Sperm banking is an established fertility preservation option in pubertal males We sought to describe current practices in Canadian pediatric oncology programs and to identify perceived barriers to sperm banking for male adolescents Procedure A questionnaire was developed to (1) describe current sperm banking practices and facilities (2) report on the utilization of sperm banking, and (3) identify barriers to sperm banking and possible solutions to improve current practices A healthcare professional with an interest in fertility preservation within each institution was approached to participate in the study Results Fifteen of 16 institutions participated 2 have fertility preservation teams Only one has written guidelines or adolescent focused educational material Over 2 years 50/262 (19%) adolescents in 12 institutions successfully banked a specimen In 11 of these, additional information was available of 85/172 (49%) adolescents offered the option to bank, 38/85 (45%) subsequently attempted Reported barriers to sperm banking included the pressure to start therapy and restricted banking hours Formal education of healthcare providers in fertility preservation practices provision of financial support for families and an adolescent focused approach were identified as important initiatives to improve sperm banking Conclusions There is a disparity in current sperm banking practices in Canada and at present <25% of eligible male adolescents attempt to bank sperm The development of a fertility preservation team adolescent specific guidelines, adolescent friendly sperm banking units, financial sup port, and improving knowledge translation among professionals and patients may improve the rates of banking Pediatr Blood Cancer 2010 55 1356-1361 (C) 2010 Wiley Liss Inc