Having children after surviving cancer in childhood or adolescence - results of a Berlin survey.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the desire to have children, the actual number of children, and children's health in a survey of 752 adult survivors of paediatric or adolescent cancer in Berlin, Germany.

PATIENTS

The German Childhood Cancer Registry ( Deutsches Kinderkrebsregister, DKKR) listed 752 paediatric cancer patients who had been treated in 1 of the 2 paediatric oncology centres in Berlin since 1980 and were 18 years of age or older at the time of the survey.

METHODS

A 4-page questionnaire assessing pubertal development, fertility, the desire to have children, the actual number of children, and children's health was sent to 574 former patients located using data from the DKKR and German Residents' Registration Office.

RESULTS

In total, 45% (n=260) of patients (140 women, 120 men) returned the questionnaire. The mean age was 10.9 years at the time of diagnosis and 24.3 years at the time of the present survey. Various aspects of puberty were assessed to evaluate pubertal development. Of all study participants, 77% indicated a general desire to have children. Reasons given for not having children included 'Still too early to have children' (67%), 'Fear that my child will develop cancer' (9%), and 'Fear that cancer will recur' (6%). Transient amenorrhoea, lasting from 1 to 30 months, occurred in 25 of 74 patients after chemo- and radiotherapy. Five of 136 participants indicated that they had already reached menopause. Seventeen per cent of all participants or their partners had already been pregnant. The miscarriage rate was 13%. Thirty participants gave birth to or fathered a total of 41 children, of whom 40 were healthy and 1 was born with a foot deformity (Pes equinovarus). Among participants' children, mean weight at birth was 3 458 g, and mean head circumference was 35 cm.

DISCUSSION

The desire to have children was lower among our survey participants than in the general population of the same age (77% vs. 90%). Participants' fears that their children might develop cancer or that their own cancer might recur are often unfounded. Paediatric cancer survivors, relatives, and attending physicians should be well informed about this issue by paediatric oncologists. The proportion of miscarriages, mean weight at birth, and mean head circumference at birth in our study were comparable to the German general population.

OUTLOOK

We intend to conduct a nationwide survey entitled 'Fertility after Chemo- and Radiotherapy in Paediatric and Adolescent Patients' (FeCt). The aim is to gain valuable data with a larger number of participants and more statistical power to determine whether specific cytotoxic drugs or radiation increase the risk of infertility, and if so, at what doses. For the study, the DKKR has the addresses of more than 5 000 former patients in Germany who are now adults. The results will be used to plan future treatment optimisation studies, and to assess the need for prophylactic measures in cases where fertility-compromising therapies are unavoidable. This nationwide survey 'FeCt' will be supported by the Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung.