Chemotherapy-induced ovarian toxicity in female cancer patients from selected Nigerian Tertiary Health Care

Abstract

Introduction: Preservation of ovarian function and fertility has become one of the major qualities of life issues for patients of reproductive age undergoing chemotherapy. Thus, monitoring ovarian reserve in the course of chemotherapy is of utmost importance for prediction of patients' reproductive life span. Aim: The study investigated the ovarian toxicity of chemotherapy in female cancer patients in selected Nigerian tertiary hospitals. Materials and Methods: One hundred and sixty participants comprised hundred radiotherapy-naive female cancer patients aged 18–72 years across all stages and sixty age-matched healthy volunteers (control) randomly selected from three medical centers in South West Nigeria. Patients' demographics and cycle of chemotherapy were obtained using questionnaire. Three milliliters of blood was collected intravenously from the participants before chemotherapy and a week after chemotherapy. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and inhibin B hormone levels in the serum samples were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Tukey's honestly significant difference one-way analysis of variance was employed to test for the significant difference, with the level of significance considered at P < 0.05. Results: The findings of the study revealed a significant decrease (P = 0.000) in AMH and inhibin B levels of the participants before and after receiving chemotherapy as compared to that of control. In the same way, there was a significant decrease in postchemotherapy AMH (P = 0.001) and inhibin B levels (P = 0.004) as compared to that of prechemotherapy. Conclusion: Decreased postchemotherapy ovarian reserve in cancer patients confirmed chemotherapy-induced ovarian toxicity.