Oncologists' knowledge and practice towards sperm cryopreservation in Arabic communities

Today, effective treatments are increasingly available to cancer patients to improve their survival and quality of life. However, both radiotherapy and chemotherapy are known to damage reproductive organs and compromise patients' fertility. Hence, sperm cryopreservation performed before starting therapy is an attractive option for male patients. The objective of this study was to assess the level of awareness and the views about this option among oncologists from Saudi Arabia.

Oncologists from three different regions of the country were invited to participate in this study, which consisted of a self-administered questionnaire to test their knowledge, perception and referral practices regarding sperm cryopreservation.

Survey response was 57%. Only half of the participating oncologists knew about the technique of intracytoplasmic sperm injection, while less than 20% referred their patients to a fertility specialist. On a scale of 1 (not important) to 10 (very important) the oncologists rated sperm cryopreservation to be 7.8 +/- 1.8. Factors that were considered important before recommending this option were: type of cancer, age of patient, number of children, marital status and cost. Surprisingly, religion was not perceived as an important factor.

Despite a general lack of knowledge about the available fertility management options for cancer patients, the oncologists appeared to have a favorable attitude towards sperm banking.

Improving awareness among oncologists would lead to more referrals to fertility specialists and thus benefit cancer survivors and their families.