Detecting cancer before wedding day, girl freezes eggs

Unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer with only two months left until her wedding, Thuy decided to freeze her eggs to have peace of mind during treatment and still be able to have children later.

The wedding of Ho Thi Le Thuy (30 years old, living in Binh Duong ) has been carefully prepared by both families for the upcoming August. In early June, when she and her fiancé went to Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for a pre-marital reproductive health check-up, she was shocked when the doctor diagnosed her with left breast cancer. It took many days for Thuy to regain her composure and agree to cooperate with the doctor's treatment.

The disease is in the early stages, the tumor has not metastasized, but what worries her most is that the long-term treatment using female hormone-suppressing drugs affects the ovaries.

"Five years of treatment with medication will delay pregnancy, plus the side effects of the medication may make it impossible for me to have children in the future," Thuy said.

She decided to freeze her eggs to preserve her ability to become a mother. Doctors from the Oncology, Breast Surgery and Reproductive Medicine departments worked together to develop a treatment plan for Thuy. The patient had the left breast containing the tumor removed, and the right breast amputated to prevent the tumor from spreading. The new surgical method preserved the skin so that the patient could have breast reconstruction later.

After the surgery, Dr. Pham Thi My Tu, Center for Reproductive Support, Tam Anh General Hospital (IVFTA-HCMC) developed a low-dose ovarian stimulation protocol, suitable for patients with breast cancer similar to Thuy. The result was then 15 mature eggs were retrieved for cryopreservation.

Doctor Pham Thi My Tu examines and consults patients at IVFTA-HCMC. Photo: Thuc Trinh — Doctor Pham Thi My Tu examines and consults patients at IVFTA-HCMC. Photo: *Thuc Trinh*

Doctor My Tu said that the patient was lucky to have the disease detected at an early stage and was treated aggressively, thus limiting the tumor. In addition, the patient had her eggs frozen at a young age, so only one ovarian stimulation was needed to obtain a large number of good quality eggs.

"The treatment time for all types of cancer in general, and breast cancer in particular, is quite long, while women's ovaries are always at risk of decline over time in both quantity and quality, leading to difficulty in having children. Egg freezing before treatment for malignant diseases helps many women preserve their reproductive function in the future," said Dr. Tu.

Thuy is currently continuing to receive treatment and monitoring at the Oncology Department, taking estrogen-suppressing drugs for women every day for 5 consecutive years. "I am reassured because I have 'savings'. After the treatment period, at the age of 35, I can still have children through in vitro fertilization (IVF)," Thuy said.

Previously, in April 2023, Ms. Thanh Huyen (35 years old, living in Ho Chi Minh City) also came to IVFTA-HCMC to freeze embryos before starting breast cancer treatment. She was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer after discovering a lump in her right breast. After 4 years of marriage, there was still no good news, now the prolonged treatment period forced Ms. Huyen to continue to delay pregnancy.

The couple decided to freeze embryos to preserve their ability to have children. Huyen underwent ovarian stimulation, resulting in 10 mature eggs, which were fertilized with fresh sperm from her husband, resulting in 7 good quality embryos for cryopreservation. It is expected that after the cancer treatment period, the couple will thaw the embryos to perform IVF.

According to statistics from the Global Cancer Organization (GLOBOCAN) in 2020, every year in the world , more than 2.2 million people are diagnosed with breast cancer and about 680,000 people die from this disease. In Vietnam, breast cancer accounts for 25.8% of cancers in women with more than 21,555 new cases and 9,345 deaths. Breast cancer can be cured and women can still have fertility if the disease is detected and treated early.

At IVFTA-HCMC, in 2022, doctors received egg freezing to preserve reproductive function for many women with cancer aged 20-35. In addition, many couples who have not had children but the wife or husband was diagnosed with cancer also had embryo freezing successfully.

Doctors recommend that women with a family history of breast cancer (mother, sister, younger sister), a history of chest radiation, early menstruation (before age 12), late menopause (after age 55), previous cancer (ovary, cervix, endometrium...), obesity, smoking... should have a breast cancer screening every 6 months to promptly detect the disease if present and treat it early.

Women of childbearing age with breast cancer are advised to freeze their eggs before undergoing treatments such as hormone suppression, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. After recovery, the patient undergoes breast reconstruction and can undergo in vitro fertilization to have children.

Nostalgia

* Patient's name has been changed.

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