A new treatment may help breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy avoid infertility and early menopause, researchers have found.
A study involving 218 women worldwide found monthly injections of the drug goserelin induces a temporary menopause that shuts down the patient’s ovaries.
Researchers from Melbourne’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre found those patients who had the drug during chemotherapy were 64 per cent less likely to go into early menopause.
“For these women it’s hugely important. There are about 800 women in Australia who are diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 40 and may not yet have started a family,” said Dr David Speakman, the centre’s chief medical officer.
“The fact that this will enable them to go on and do that after they have had a successful treatment for cancer is a fantastic outcome.”
The study also found women who received the treatment were almost twice as likely to have a baby after their cancer treatment, compared with those who did not receive the injections.
The results of the Prevention of Early Menopause study were presented to the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago overnight.
The study’s chair, Professor Kelly-Anne Phillips, said currently many women freeze eggs or embryos before chemotherapy and try to get pregnant when it is safe to do so.
“Through this research we have a comparatively simple and accessible way to help protect fertility in young breast cancer patients without harming cancer outcomes.”
Professor Phillips said the treatment may have benefits for young women with other forms of cancer.