BUFFALO, NY – Daniel M. Green, MD, Staff Physician in Pediatric Oncology and Director of the Long-Term Follow-up Clinic at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), will present the preliminary results of a Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) that links cancer treatments with the inability of some male childhood cancer survivors to father children, at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), June 1 – 5, in Chicago, IL.

“Fecundity of Males after Treatment for Childhood Cancer. A Report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study.”

Embargoed until Sunday, June 3, 9:45 am CST

E450a   Abstract No: 9516

Male survivors of childhood cancer may have difficulties fathering children as a result of their previous surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy. The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of male childhood cancer survivors who have impaired fecundity [IF] (ongoing attempts to become pregnant for a period of one year without success or use of medication to help achieve a pregnancy) and identify the possible causes.

This CCSS study included 6,555 male participants who were age six to 29 years at the time of cancer diagnosis, and between 15 and 44 years of age at follow-up. Researchers found that the group of patients who received testicular and pituitary radiation doses greater than 500 cGy, and those treated with increasing doses of alkylating agents, had an increased chance of IF.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is a non profit organization, founded in 1964, with overarching goals of improving cancer care and prevention and ensuring that all patients with cancer receive care of the highest quality. Nearly 25,000 oncology practitioners belong to ASCO, representing all oncology disciplines (medical, radiologic and surgical oncology) and subspecialties. Members include physicians and health-care professionals participating in approved oncology training programs, oncology nurses and other practitioners with a predominant interest in oncology. 

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers. Roswell Park has affiliate sites and collaborative programs in New York, Pennsylvania, and in China. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.

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