The fertility-related treatment choices of cancer patients: Cancer-related infertility and family dynamics

Abstract

Cancer does not just affect the person battling the disease, but the patient's family as well. Cancer can impact a broad range of family relationships from sexual relations with a partner to how someone parents their child. Family members are also often involved in the treatment decisions that someone with cancer makes, such as showing support for a particular medical decision [1] or even being the primary decision maker [2, 3]. The role that a family member plays in the decision-making process is contingent upon many factors including the age of the patient, their relationship to the cancer patient (e.g., parent vs. child), the patient's own desires [4], prior family dynamics [4, 5], and cultural and community norms [2, 3]. Family members can be involved in many decisions directly related to an individual's cancer battle including which treatment option to choose (e.g., lumpectomy or mastectomy) [6], whether or not to pursue alternative treatments [7], and end-of-life care [8]. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.