Making evaluations about immunotherapy, one of the most promising treatment methods in cancer patients, Medical Oncology Specialist Prof. Dr. Uğur Coşkun said, “With this treatment method, which acts by stimulating the body’s own immune system, healing-like responses can be obtained even in some patients with disseminated cancer. An interesting study was published in the journal Nature Cancer a few days ago about this form of treatment, which has fewer side effects compared to chemotherapy. In this experimental study by Amy Winship and colleagues, it was shown that immunotherapy caused permanent damage to the ovaries of female mice.
MAY NEED TO FREEZE THEIR EGGS
Underlining that there is evidence that immunotherapy can cause infertility in female patients in line with the study published in the journal Nature Cancer, Prof. Dr. Coşkun said, “We know that chemotherapy and radiotherapy damage women’s ovaries and eliminate the possibility of fertility in some women. The possibility of such a side effect is really important in the application of immunotherapy, which seems to be much more innocent compared to chemotherapy. Immunotherapy is now becoming more and more common in cancer patients. In our country, there are repayments in many areas. This negative effect of this treatment on fertility in women needs to be investigated in detail. According to the results, women who will receive this type of treatment may need ovarian cryopreservation, just like before chemotherapy. (UAV)