Fertility Preservation Discussions And Decisions: Results From a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Among Adolescent...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Reproductive Medicine
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Cancer treatment poses risks to fertility in adolescent males.
• Effective communication and decision-making tools are crucial for fertility preservation.
• The Family-centered Adolescent Sperm banking values clarification Tool (FAST) was developed to aid this process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and acceptability of the Fertility Preservation Discussions And Decisions (FP-DAD) intervention.
• To examine the efficacy of FP-DAD on sperm banking attempts and decision quality.
• To explore the relationship between decision quality and banking attempts.

Main Methods:

• A pilot parallel randomized controlled trial (FP-DAD) comparing standard care to FP-DAD (fertility consult + FAST + interventionist-led discussion).
• Participants included males aged 12-25 with a new cancer diagnosis and their caregivers.
• Data collected included acceptability surveys, decision quality measures, and banking attempt status.

Main Results:

• FP-DAD demonstrated high acceptability (88%-100%) among participants.
• Recruitment challenges limited the sample size, impacting statistical power.
• No significant difference in banking attempts between groups, but decision quality was higher in those who banked.

Conclusions:

• FP-DAD is highly acceptable but faces feasibility challenges for full family engagement.
• Limited efficacy may be attributed to small sample size; larger trials are warranted.
• Findings support the FAST's adaptation for clinical use to improve fertility decision-making.