LIVESTRONG Fertility Training Helping Empowers Healthcare Professionals With Tools for Cancer Care

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 21, 2015

PLAINSBORO, N.J.—Since January 2015, more than 300 healthcare professionals have registered for training to ensure that adolescent and young adult cancer patients receive fertility services that will allow them to become have biological children someday, thanks to a program from the LIVESTRONG Foundation.

LIVESTRONG officers Bree Hemingway, MPH; Aditi Narayan MSW; and Sarah Avery, PhD, outline the need for the program and the history barriers to fertility training in their essay in the current issue of Evidence-Based Oncology, a publication of The American Journal of Managed Care. “For adolescent and young adult cancer survivors who want the option of having biological children, infertility caused by their cancer and its treatment can be one of the most challenging post-treatment issues they face,” the authors write.

For the full commentary, click here.

The authors report that there is often a short window of opportunity for fertility services—such as egg harvesting—before toxic cancer treatment must begin. Barriers such as overwhelmed doctors who don’t find the time for conversations and significant costs may prevent referrals from happening. But today, fertility care is part of the guidelines for young patients from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and LIVESTRONG has stepped forward to train healthcare professionals. With 130,000 people under age 45 receiving a cancer diagnosis each year, and survival rates increasing, it’s important. And training works. So far, 91% of participants report it is changing the way they practice.

About the LIVESTRONG Foundation

The LIVESTRONG Foundation fights to improve the lives of people affected by cancer now. For 18 years, the Foundation has been a voice for cancer survivors and has directly served more than three million people. LIVESTRONG answers survivors’ questions, tells their stories and helps them live their lives through direct service, advocacy and inventive partnership models. In 2014, the Foundation launched its boldest enterprise yet—the LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes at the Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin. The Institutes will be a pioneering approach to patient-centered cancer care designed by survivors to deliver the best teaching practices and the greatest collaborative research to serve the cancer community.

If anyone you know needs cancer support, please visit LIVESTRONG.org/WeCanHelp. For more information about our programs and services, please visit LIVESTRONG.org.

About the Journals and AJMC.com

The American Journal of Managed Care celebrates its 20th year in 2015 as the leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to issues in managed care. AJMC.com distributes healthcare news to leading stakeholders across a variety of platforms. Other titles in the franchise include The American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits, which provides pharmacy and formulary decision-makers with information to improve the efficiency and health outcomes in managing pharmaceutical care, and The American Journal of Accountable Care, which publishes research and commentary on innovative healthcare delivery models facilitated by the 2010 Affordable Care Act. AJMC’s Evidence-Based series brings together stakeholder views from payers, providers, policymakers and pharmaceutical leaders in oncology and diabetes management. To order reprints of articles appearing in AJMC publications, please call (609) 716-7777, x 131.

CONTACT: Nicole Beagin (609) 716-7777 x 131

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