Los Angeles / PRNewswire -- California Cryobank (CCB) is proud to announce sponsorship of the first ever online video course for the oncology community exploring male fertility preservation. The course will be produced by Fertile Action, a charitable organization dedicated to helping young people touched by cancer become parents.
"Despite the American Society of Clinical Oncology guidelines to provide informed consent and referrals for fertility preservation, 50% of patients still remain uniformed about the extreme importance of fertility preservation prior to cancer treatment," said Alice Crisci, cancer survivor and Fertile Action founder.
The course includes interviews with a testicular cancer survivor, as well as experts in the oncology, reproductive medicine, and cryogenics fields. The objective is to help oncology providers feel comfortable in having the fertility risk conversation with their pediatric, adolescent and young adult cancer patients to maximize the opportunity for fertility preservation.
"This cause is very important to us. We already offer financial aid for young men to freeze and store their sperm, but many patients still do not receive the information prior to treatment. This course is designed to remind physicians to discuss the fertility risks associated with cancer treatment while there is still time to intervene," said CCB co-founder Charles Sims, MD.
The free course is available at www.oncofertu.org and was co-developed with The Oncofertility Working Group of UCLA / Daltrey—Townshend Teen and Young Adult Oncology Program, Mattel Children's Hospital.
Contributors include: Robert Brannigan, MD (Northwestern), Catherine DeUgarte, MD (Pacific Coast Fertility Center Los Angeles), Leonard Sender, MD (CHOC Children's), Jaime Shamonki, MD (CCB), James Smith, MD (UCSF), Dennis Styne, MD (UC Davis), Rebecca Sokol, MD (ASRM President) and Paul Turek, MD (The Turek Clinic).
ABOUT CALIORNIA CRYOBANK
Founded in 1977, California Cryobank is one of the world's oldest and largest donor sperm banks. CCB is registered with the FDA, accredited by the AATB, and licensed by the states of California and New York.
ABOUT FERTILE ACTION
Fertile Action is a 501 (c) 3 cancer charity working to ensure young people touched by cancer can become parents. Founder Alice Crisci created the organization weeks after being diagnosed with breast cancer and encountering the limited resources available to help with her own fertility preservation. Crisci welcomed her fertility preservation miracle Dante into the world in 2013.
Media Contact: Scott Brown
310-496-5681
Sbrown@cryobank.com