Sohu Pharmaceutical | "Nature": Tumor immunotherapy may damage women's fertility

Produced | Sohu Health

Author | Zhou Yichuan

Edit | Yuan Yue

Recently, the "Nature · Cancer" magazine prompts that tumor immunotherapy may lead to damage to fertility, and women such as frozen eggs should be considered when treating women in childcare.

Tumor chemotherapy may cause irreversible damage to women's ovaries, leading to infertility and premature menopause. Before treatment, fully prevent prevention. However, the side effects of the latest and hottest immunotherapy are not sufficient. Their mechanism is to stimulate the immune system, strengthen its own tumor killing ability, and the side effects are less than chemotherapy. Will it kill organs?

Researchers used PD-1 and CTLA-4 drugs for mice, and found that drugs strengthened the expression of immune cell infiltration and tumor necrosis factors in the ovaries, reducing ovarian follicle reserves, and damaging the ability to mature ovulation ovulation in ovarian mother cells. Therefore, these drugs may damage the recent and future fertility capabilities.

This study confirmed the risk of reproductive systems of immunotherapy. It is necessary to further test the impact of drugs on the human body, including evaluating the side effects of other immune drugs.

Experts suggest that patients who receive immunotherapy clinically need to prepare for fertility. For example, immunotherapy has become a common means of early breast cancer. Patients receiving such treatment can consider using ovarian protection drugs and timely recovery treatment of ovarian function after treatment. Alternatively, patients can consider making eggs and embryos to preserve fertility. Of course, these treatments are creative and expensive, which means another expensive expenditure, and cannot protect ovarian function. There is still a risk of premature menstruation.

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