Oncofertility and covid-19—cancer does not wait

Abstract

The current pandemic due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has forced physicians to review their current clinical practice and guidelines. Although elective procedures using assisted reproductive technologies (ART) should be preferably canceled or postponed at this time, this does not always apply to urgent procedures such as those in patients with cancer. A complete oncofertility counseling balancing the benefits and risks of undergoing fertility preservation before commencing gonadotoxic therapies (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy) should also be provided during the COVID-19 outbreak. This article briefly highlights what patients, oncologists and fertility specialists need to keep in mind during oncofertility counseling at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak.