Oncofertility Communication Sharing Information and Building Relationships across Disciplines

Oncofertility integrates the two previously distinct fields of cancer treatment and fertility research and aims to explore and expand the reproductive future of cancer survivors. In order to achieve the goal of fertility preservation, the Oncofertility community must focus on communication and the way data is provided and received.  Concomitant with the rapidly changing technology of Oncofertility, there have been radical shifts and advances in the way health educators and clinicians can produce and share information. As success rates of reproductive techniques such as egg freezing and banking continue to rise, providing increasing opportunities for young cancer patients to preserve their fertility prior to the onset of cancer treatments, communication among professionals in oncology, reproductive medicine, and psychosocial work, among others, becomes crucial, and clinical demand for Oncofertility information is expected to rise considerably.

Oncofertility Communication describes and addresses the myriad channels through which the multiple audiences involved in Oncofertility can be served with appropriate and accurate information about cancer-related fertility issues. The text answers frequently asked questions and provides invaluable insights to scientific and health care professionals about communication among the diverse Oncofertility audiences. It incorporates timely discussions about traditional and emerging electronic communication tools and discusses the impact of health care policy changes on the Oncofertility field.

Part I: Communicating with Patients and Their Families.- How Do Cancer Patients Learn about Fertility Preservation? Five Trajectories of Experience.- Communicating across Diverse and Differently Literate Audiences.- Patient and Family Tools to Aid in Education and Decision-Making about Oncofertility.- Cancer-Related Infertility and Young Women: Strategies for Discussing Fertility Preservation.- Fertility Communication and High-Risk Patients.- Incorporating Partners and Spouses into Oncofertility Communication.- Genetic Counselors: Bridging the Oncofertility Information Gap.- Communicating Oncofertility to Children: A Developmental Perspective for Teaching Health Messages.- Disparities in Adolescent Provider-Patient Communication Regarding Fertility Preservation Care.- Fertility Communication to Cancer Patients: A Hematologist-Oncologist's Perspective.- Part II: Communicating with Health Care Professionals, Stakeholders and the Public.- An Interprofessional Approach to Shared Decision-Making: What It Means and Where Next.- Oncofertility Communication Tools for Professionals and the Public.- Educating Providers on Evidence-Based Medical Guidelines.- Incorporating Insurance Education into the Fertility Preservation Process.- Research Recruitment and Dissemination in Young Adults with Cancer.- Communicating Emerging Reproductive Science to the Judiciary and Legislatures.- The Role of Popular Media in Oncofertilty Communication.

Teresa K. Woodruff, PhD, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

Marla L. Clayman, PhD, MPH, Feinberg  School of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

Kate E. Waimey, PhD, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oncofertility Consortium, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA