Abstract
With the improvement of therapy outcomes for malignant neoplasms, fertility preservation is increasingly being considered for the adolescent and young adult （AYA） generation between the ages of 15 and 39.
The annual number of patients with malignant neoplasms in Japan is one million, of which 20,000 are in the AYA generation and 14,000 （67％） are women. As fertility preservation therapies, surgery and drugs are available for early gynecological cancers. In the case of cervical cancer, a prophylactic vaccine against human papilloma virus is effective. For non-gynecological cancers, the freezing of fertilized eggs, unfertilized eggs, and ovarian tissue prior to therapy is an option. The most common malignancies detected during pregnancy are breast, thyroid and cervical cancers, and leukemia. Anticancer drugs can be administered after 14 weeks of gestation, but preferably after 17 weeks, since the eyes, hematopoietic system, and central nervous system are more susceptible to damage from anticancer drugs.
In fertility preservation therapy, multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to explain to the patient in a short period of time and to facilitate prompt decision-making.
