Sexual and Reproductive Health of Patients With Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer.

Abstract

Despite an overall decline in the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer, diagnosed cases of colorectal cancer in young adults are rising significantly. As more and more young patients with colorectal cancer survive their primary disease, there is an increasing concern about reproductive health associated with primary treatment. There is considerable controversy in the available literature regarding the outcomes of pregnancies in patients with colorectal cancer, including maternal and fetal/neonatal outcomes. The most commonly reported adverse events in labor were cesarean section, pre-eclampsia, preterm birth, and neonatal complications associated with preterm birth. The purpose of this review was to summarize the unmet reproductive needs of patients with early-onset colorectal cancer, the gonadal toxicity and fertility effects of treatment on patients with early-onset colorectal cancer, and the maternal and fetal/neonatal effects of pregnancy, to optimize the overall prognosis of patients with early-onset colorectal cancer.