Fertility and sexuality in young cancer survivors who have adult-onset malignancies.

Post-treatment fertility and sexuality are important issues to be considered before treatment starts in young adult patients who have cancer. Most male cancer survivors who have malignancies typical for young adulthood preserve the potential to father a child. Fertility remains decreased in comparable females treated for cancer in reproductive years. Postdiagnosis sexual life is affected, more so in females than in males, and was found to be strongly associated with emotional aspects of partnership. Communication about fertility and sexuality must become an integrated part of cancer survivors' follow-up.