Principles of cancer treatment: Impact on reproduction

Abstract

According to the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database [1] 1 million 445,000 new cases of invasive cancer (766,860 in men and 678,060 in women) were diagnosed in the US in 2007 [1]. Approximately 1,530,000 new cancer cases were expected to be diagnosed in 2010 (789,620 in men and 739,940 in women). Men have an overall 45% risk of developing cancer at some time during their lives, which is higher than in women who present with 37% lifetime cancer risk. Age is the most significant risk factor for cancer in both sexes. However, even younger adults and children may develop cancer and in people younger than 39 years, the risk is of about 1/72 for men and 1/51 for women. For adults between 40 and 59 years, 1/12 men and 1/11 women will develop cancer. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.