A study suggested that people who survive cancer may not only face the consequences of being infertile after the disease or treatment, but they may also experience the hardships of adoption to start their own family.

Cancer survivors may need to prove to adoption agencies via written letters from their physicians that they were living a disease-free life for almost 5 years. Moreover, researchers, who communicate with some adoption groups, discovered that some prospective parents were required to provide detailed medical history, according to Reuters.

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Study leader Gwendolyn Quinn, of the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, said in an email to Reuters Health: "Some survivors have no problem at all getting this medical clearance and it just becomes one of many documents they need to gather, but others have had trouble with the letter."

Quinn noted that young cancer patients should speak with their physicians regarding their options of having a family after the treatment. For example, they should discuss whether the patient wants to preserve his or her fertility, or secure the potential of having an adoption before they start the treatment.

Some researchers said that if birth mothers would eventually find out about their medical history, they might reject some prospective parents based on their history of having cancer. Nevertheless, more than half of the agencies said that having a history of cancer should be viewed positively because aspiring parents who have overcome such trials and hardships in life have become stronger in the process, and they have learned to appreciate life better.

According to Rapid News Network, a report in the journal Cancer stated that adoption is the default option for some cancer survivors and even health care providers, but many don't realize the logistics involved, or the potential barrier caused by an oncology diagnosis.

Meanwhile, in a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on July 13, researchers stated that the rate of hospitalization for young adult cancer survivors is most likely higher than those people who never had any cancer, Philly Health.com has learned.

A colorectal surgeon at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and study author Dr. Nancy Baxter said, "Even when younger adults survive cancer, the cancer still has an influence on their lives and their life-long health, and this age group still has a lot of life to live."

TagsCancer, Cancer Survivors, Adoption