We are pleased to share with our patients that the National Institute of Health and the California Breast Cancer Research Program has awarded Dr. Su with two multi-year research grants on studying women’s health issues after cancer. It is known that breast cancer survivors are at high risk of late effects related to reproductive health: estrogen-deprivation symptoms such as hot flashes, infertility, limited contraception options and sexual dysfunction. The goal of one of the studies will be to develop and test a novel web-based survivorship care plan intervention to improve survivor and healthcare provider knowledge on how to take care of these four issues. This clinical trial will recruit young breast cancer survivor participants between 2015 and 2017. Infertility and premature ovarian aging are life-changing consequences of cancer in young women. Yet, the reproductive window after cancer treatment in young adult cancer survivors (YA survivors) is not known. In light of growing numbers of YA survivors and emergence of promising interventions on fertility *after* cancer treatment, there is a clear need to identify and categorize patterns of ovarian aging after cancer and the clinical profiles associated with them to assist in patient counseling and decision making. Through innovative use of social media for recruitment and non-clinic-based, minimally invasive blood and saliva collection, Dr. Su and her team have proposed estimating the reproductive lifespan in the context of cancer in order to guide patient counseling, individualize risks and preserve opportunities for biologic parenthood. This 5-year study is recruiting YA survivors until 2019. For more information on our research studies, please contact us at ayastudy@ucsd.edu.
RPSD patient Jennifer wanted as many chances as possible to have children despite her diagnosis of breast cancer. Watch Jennifer’s story of how Dr. Su and the RPSD team guided her through embryo egg banking to preserve her fertility before treatment.