Vali-E-Asr Reproductive Health Research Center, Family Health Research Institute, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Akbar Abadi Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
BMC Cancer. 2024 Aug 24;24(1):1044. doi: 10.1186/s12885-024-12821-6.
In recent years, Iran has witnessed a remarkable increase in the incidence of cancer. This has led to an emerging challenge in the field of oncofertility, which seeks to address the impact of cancer treatments on fertility and endeavors to preserve reproduction. The study assessed healthcare providers' awareness, attitudes, and practices regarding fertility preservation (FP) in Iran.
A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess healthcare providers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding oncofertility. An online self-made oncofertility survey of twenty-four items was administered to randomly selected participants from a list of healthcare providers registered with the Medical Council. The data were collected anonymously via Google Forms. Descriptive statistics, including number (n), prevalence (%), mean, and standard deviation, were calculated using SPSS 26.0. Additionally, chi-square tests were used to examine associations between categorical variables. Participants were categorized into oncology, obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), and other specialties.
A total of 423 responses were received and analyzed. Approximately 60% of the participants were obstetrics and gynecology subspecialists, while the remaining participants represented various disciplines such as surgery (9.7%), radiotherapy (6.4%), nuclear medicine (5.2%), and pediatrics (1.4%). More than 30% of the participants had not received any specific education about oncofertility, and more than 20% stated that FP strategies are not part of their routine treatment plan for young cancer patients. Oncologists had more education than those in the Obstetrics & Gynecology group. Half the participants were unaware of insurance coverage, and FP options were infrequently recommended.
These findings highlight the urgent need to enhance healthcare workers' knowledge and attitudes toward FP in Iran and enable them to provide comprehensive support and guidance to cancer patients.
近年来，伊朗的癌症发病率显著上升。这在肿瘤生育力领域带来了新的挑战，该领域旨在解决癌症治疗对生育能力的影响，并努力保留生殖能力。本研究评估了伊朗医疗保健提供者对生育力保存（FP）的认识、态度和实践。
采用横断面研究评估医疗保健提供者对肿瘤生育力的知识、态度和实践。采用在线自行设计的包含 24 个项目的肿瘤生育力调查，对从医疗委员会注册的医疗保健提供者名单中随机选择的参与者进行调查。数据通过 Google Forms 匿名收集。使用 SPSS 26.0 计算描述性统计数据，包括数量（n）、流行率（%）、均值和标准差。此外，还使用卡方检验检查了分类变量之间的关联。参与者被分为肿瘤学、妇产科和其他专业。
共收到并分析了 423 份回复。大约 60%的参与者是妇产科亚专科医生，其余参与者来自手术（9.7%）、放射治疗（6.4%）、核医学（5.2%）和儿科（1.4%）等各种学科。超过 30%的参与者没有接受过任何关于肿瘤生育力的专门教育，超过 20%的人表示 FP 策略不是他们年轻癌症患者常规治疗计划的一部分。肿瘤学家的教育程度高于妇产科组。一半的参与者不知道保险覆盖范围，很少推荐 FP 选择。
这些发现强调了迫切需要提高伊朗医疗保健工作者对 FP 的知识和态度，并使他们能够为癌症患者提供全面的支持和指导。
