Objective: Prevention of subsequent primary cancer (SPC) is crucial for cancer survivors, particularly those who developed the disease during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood (CAYA). The aim of this study was to assess the current status of SPC prevention among female CAYA cancer survivors. Methods: A survey regarding long-term health issues after cancer treatment was conducted using questionnaires that targeted women aged ≥20 years who had developed cancer before the age of 40 years. The survey assessed various health issues, and this paper focuses on the items related to the respondents’ perceptions and attitudes toward SPC prevention. Results: A total of 1,026 respondents were analyzed. Over 60% of respondents were aware of SPC and the need for screening. The percentages of respondents who underwent regular SPC screening were 53.8%, 51.8%, 29.5%, 43.7%, and 41.1% for cervical, breast, colon, lung, and gastric cancers, respectively. After adjusting for age, type of first cancer, and current follow-up, we found that receiving recommendations for SPC screening was the most critical factor in SPC screening uptake (odds ratio=3.836; 95% confidence interval=2.281–6.451;p<0.001 by logistic regression analysis). However, only 40.4% of the respondents received recommendations for SPC screening from their physicians. Conclusion Despite good awareness of SPC prevention, the uptake rate for cancer screening among cancer survivors was inadequate, indicating that preventive measures for SPC should be promoted. Because recommendations from others strongly influence SPC screening uptake, healthcare professionals should have accurate knowledge and provide guidance regarding SPC prevention.

This study aimed to ascertain the current status of Japanese sperm banking for young cancer patients. During 2015, we mailed the directors of 695 institutes where sperm cryopreservation might be performed with questionnaires requesting information on the number of patients, age, precryopreservation chemotherapy, semen analyses results and diagnoses, cryopreservation success rate, and causes of unsuccessful cryopreservation. Of these 695 institutes, 92 had cryopreserved sperm before chemotherapy within the study period. In all, 820 cancer patients (237 testicular, 383 hematological, 46 bone and soft tissue, 20 brain, and 134 other malignancy) consulted the responding institutes for sperm cryopreservation. Except for testicular tumor, the number of patients whose sperm was preserved before cancer treatment was low compared to that of young cancer patients. Approximately 20% of patients with malignancies other than testicular tumor underwent chemotherapy before cryopreservation. The success rate of cryopreservation in hematological malignancy was 82.5%, significantly lower than that of both the testicular cancer (93.6%) and other malignancy groups (95.6%) (P < 0.05). The primary reasons for preservation failure were azoospermia and poor semen quality. Patients with hematological malignancies had a higher rate of unsuccessful cryopreservation compared to those in other groups, possibly due to the large number of patients requesting sperm cryopreservation after chemotherapy induction. In Japan, information regarding sperm banking prior to cancer treatment appears to be lacking. Information regarding sperm preservation before chemotherapy should be provided to all Japanese oncologists.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Azoospermia ; Cryopreservation ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Semen Analysis ; Semen Preservation/methods* ; Sperm Banks/statistics & numerical data* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Testicular Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult