What to do if you get nasopharyngeal cancer during pregnancy

Some cancer treatments can affect fertility, but certainly not all. Whether treatment affects fertility depends on what organ the cancer grows in, whether there are any remedial measures after removal, what drugs are used for treatment, as well as gender and age at the time of illness, and response to treatment. Therefore, it is difficult to answer the question of whether cancer patients can have children, and it varies from person to person.

The impact of surgery on fertility: refers to women who need to have their uterus removed due to cervical cancer and endometrial cancer, those who need to have both ovaries or fallopian tubes removed for treatment or those whose fallopian tubes are scarred and blocked after treatment, men who have had both testicles removed due to testicular cancer or prostate cancer, and those who have undergone prostatectomy and radical cystectomy.

Effects of chemotherapy on fertility: Many chemotherapy drugs can damage the eggs stored in the ovaries, and the effect depends on the drug used and the dose. The most damaging drugs are alkylating agents, such as cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide. Low-risk chemotherapy drugs include methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, vincristine, etc. It is difficult to predict the chance of fertility being affected by chemotherapy because age, drugs used, and drug doses vary greatly.

Women who develop cancer around the age of 30 often experience amenorrhea during treatment. People often worry about this and think it is very bad. In fact, this protects the eggs. After the treatment is completed, the menstrual cycle and ovulation will resume. However, do not get pregnant in the first 6 months after the treatment, because the drugs can damage the mature eggs. If the damaged eggs are fertilized, the embryo will be aborted or develop into a fetus with genetic problems. According to the latest research, it takes about 6 months to repair the genes of the eggs.

After chemotherapy, sperm production slows or stops completely. Some people usually need 1 to 4 years to recover. If sperm production does not recover after 4 years, it is unlikely to recover. Men over 40 are less likely to resume fertility, but age is not as important for men as it is for women.

Effects of radiotherapy on fertility: Radiation can also damage women's ovaries. For women who receive radiation therapy to the abdomen and pelvis, and when radiation therapy is directly given to the vagina, the ovaries absorb a large amount of radiation, and the symbol of ovarian damage is menopause. Uterine radiation therapy also increases the risk of miscarriage and premature birth because scarring after treatment restricts blood flow to the uterus and interferes with the implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterus during pregnancy.

Radiation therapy to the testicles kills sperm-producing stem cells, which of course affects fertility. In childhood leukemia, bone marrow or stem cell transplants, which usually include high-dose chemotherapy before transplantation and sometimes radiation therapy, often lead to impaired egg and sperm production.

In addition to the direct removal of fertility-related organs, the impact of other factors is uncertain and mostly temporary. Recent improvements in radiotherapy are more conformal, and in addition to targeting the tumor, the impact on parts other than the tumor is minimal.

Reproductive technology is developing. Adults with cancer who need to have their ovaries or testicles removed can freeze their sperm and eggs before surgery to satisfy their wish to become parents. Those who really need to seriously consider having children are individual young cancer survivors, mainly survivors of childhood leukemia.

However, pregnancy brings about many changes to women. First of all, the endocrine environment changes, and the burden on the heart, liver, and kidneys is increased. The lifestyle formed during the recovery period needs to change, and eating habits also change. Taking care of children requires energy...so you have to consider whether the tumor is stable, how great the risk of recurrence is, whether the tumor is related to the endocrine system, whether endocrine changes are beneficial or harmful to the tumor, and whether circulation, digestion, excretion...can be afforded; then there are the issues of the energy to take care of and nurture the child's growth, and when to choose. After careful consideration, you need to consult obstetricians and gynecologists and oncologists, and carefully consider and decide based on individual circumstances.