Barriers and Opportunities of Oncofertility Practice in Nine Developing Countries and the Emerging Oncofertility Professional Engagement Network

Mahmoud Salama, Lauren Ataman-Millhouse, Fabio Sobral, Guillermo Terrado, Anibal Scarella, Maria T. Bourlon, Satish Kumar Adiga, Karthik S. Udupa, Nalini Mahajan, Madhuri Patil, Chris Venter, Georgia Demetriou, Ramiro Quintana, Gabriela Rodriguez, Tomas Quintana, Luz Viale, Yuly Andrea Remolina Bonilla, July Andrea Russi Noguera, Juan Carlos Velásquez Velásquez, Jennifer Ivonne Dominguez PinedaMario Daniel Castro Aldecoa, Murid Javed, Hamad Al Sufyan, Nonso Daniels, Adegbite A. Ogunmokun, Teresa K. Woodruff

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

PURPOSE Oncofertility practice continues to grow in developing countries despite the lack of health care services, especially those related to cancer care. The purpose of this study is to further explore oncofertility practice in these countries and identify opportunities for field-wide coalescence. METHODS We generated a survey to learn more about oncofertility practice in nine developing countries within our Oncofertility Consortium Global Partners Network—Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Argentina, Chile, Nigeria, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and India. Their responses were collected, reviewed, and discussed. RESULTS Surveyed centers from the nine developing countries continue to experience a similar set of common challenges, including a lack of awareness among providers and patients, cultural and religious constraints, lack of insurance coverage and funding to help to support oncofertility programs, and high out-of-pocket costs for patients. Despite these barriers, many opportunities exist and there is great potential for the future. CONCLUSION The current need is to unify the new technologies and best practices that emerge from rural communities and developing countries with those in large metropolitan cities, both domestically (US based) and abroad, into a functional unit: the Oncofertility Professional Engagement Network. The Oncofertility Professional Engagement Network will bridge the gap between domestic and international programs to establish a strong global network in which members share resources, methodologies and experiences and further build cultural competency.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)369-374
Number of pages6
JournalJCO Global Oncology
Volume6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research

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