Two years ago, Konstanty Radziwiłł, the then Minister of Health, promised to help women suffering from cancer who undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy in preserving fertility. He kept his word. This has been included in the “Program of comprehensive reproductive health protection in Poland 2016-20”. Journalists of the Polityka weekly discovered that the document on securing fertility had been removed from the document. – We are waiting for explanations on this matter from the Ministry of Health. We have repeatedly emphasized the need for fertility care in patients struggling with cancer. This is especially important because the number of young cancer patients is growing – this is how Wojciech Wiśniewski, spokesman for the Alivia Oncology Foundation, comments on the matter for TvoiLokona.
According to the Polityka weekly, the plans to create a Germinal Tissue Bank were quietly abandoned. The institution was supposed to secure the fertility of women suffering from cancer. Loss of fertility is one of the consequences of cancer. Several methods are already used in the world to help maintain fertility in cancer patients. In addition to freezing oocytes and sperm, embryo freezing is also used. An experimental method was to be used at the Polish Germinal Tissue Bank, consisting in freezing the ovarian tissue.
The health ministry’s decision surprised the experts
Prof. Robert Jach, a gynecologist and oncologist, asked the ministry for comment. The answer we received reads: “The Germinal Tissue Bank was not established due to legal obstacles. In the opinion of the Legal Department of the Ministry of Health, it is necessary to create legal regulations in this area ”. In an interview with Polityka, he said that the decision of the Ministry of Health had no substantive justification. He is also not surprised, because so far work on this project has been going smoothly. – The consultations lasted two years, the bank even has an informal “seat” – premises at the University Hospital in Krakow have been adapted. Equipment for examinations and treatments awaits there. And well-prepared doctors. There is also the consent of the Bioethics Committee for the freezing of tissues. As part of the research, a freezing test has already been carried out in two women – one of them ended up pregnant – says Prof. Jach.
We asked for a comment from Wojciech Wiśniewski, spokesman for the Alivia Oncological Foundation. – The information about the abandonment of the plans to establish the Bank is extremely surprising for us. As applicants of comprehensive services in oncology, such as Breast Units, we have repeatedly emphasized the need to provide fertility care in patients struggling with cancer, says Wiśniewski. – This is especially important given the growing number of young patients who start fighting cancer each year. Modern medicine allows for the support of such people, we do not understand why it should be different in Poland. We expect information and explanations on this matter from the Ministry of Health – he adds.
Cancer incidence in Poland is increasing, also in the group of young people, up to 35 years of age. There are said to be two to three thousand people at risk of losing fertility as a result of cancer.