Ovary swops offer hope to cancer patients

Talia is getting tough treatment for kidney cancer that spread to her brain. She's also getting a chance at having babies of her own someday. To battle infertility sometimes caused by cancer treatment, some children's hospitals are trying a futuristic approach.

Talia is getting tough treatment for kidney cancer that spread to her brain. She's also getting a chance at having babies of her own someday. To battle infertility sometimes caused by cancer treatment, some children's hospitals are trying a futuristic approach.

Published Oct 7, 2015

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London - Ovary transplants can save the fertility of cancer patients and lead to successful pregnancies, according to a study.

Almost a third of women who were followed for up to ten years after the procedure – and wanted a baby – had at least one child.

Scientists said their findings show those who have the tissue removed, stored and put back in at a later date have a good chance of conceiving.

It has been suggested that the transplant could also be used in future to delay the menopause for career women wanting to have babies later in life.

Dr Annette Jensen, of Copenhagen hospital Rigshospitalet, said: “Many girls and young women who have been diagnosed with a disease such as cancer now have a realistic hope of recovery … but the treatment for their disease can cause infertility by damaging the functioning of their ovaries.

“As … techniques for removing, freezing, storing and then transplanting ovarian tissue have developed, fertility preservation is increasingly becoming an integral part of treatment. However, as ovarian transplantation is still in its early days, its efficacy and safety needs to be investigated.”

The study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, reviewed 53 transplants of thawed ovarian tissue among 41 Danish women and showed it can last at least ten years. There also appeared to be little risk of the disease returning.

Cancer treatment is the usual reason for ovarian tissue removal, in the hope it can be transplanted back in at a later date – but there have been concerns it may contain cancerous cells.

The ovarian transplant programme started in Denmark in 2000. Since then, almost 800 women have had tissue frozen.

The average age of the women at the time the tissue was frozen was 29.8 years, and the average age when the first transplant was performed was 33.

Of the 41 women, 32 wished to become pregnant. Ten were successful and had at least one child. Dr Jensen said: “The full functional lifespan of grafts is still being evaluated, because many of these women have ovaries that are continuing to function.”

Six who received an ovarian transplant had a relapse of their cancer – but no cancer developed in the transplanted tissue.

Dr Jensen added: “These findings show grafted ovarian tissue is effective in restoring ovarian function in a safe manner. In this series of women the pregnancy rate was about 30 percent.”

Restoration of ovarian function is also important for maintaining normal levels of sex hormones that help the body to delay menopausal symptoms.

Daily Mail

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