Anal Cancer Survivor is Fertile Again After Ovarian Implants
German physicians have successfully used ovarian tissue implants to restore fertility to a 32-year-old cancer survivor who lost her ability to get pregnant after receiving treatments for anal cancer.
Knowing the tumor’s close proximity to reproductive organs increased the possibility of infertility, doctors at Erlangen University Hospital removed healthy ovarian tissue from the young woman before she began chemotherapy and radiation treatments in 2004.
The patient successfully conquered her cancer, but was left without menstrual cycles for two years. After hormone treatments failed to return the woman’s periods, Erlangen’s doctors re-inserted her own preserved ovarian tissue through her pelvis using an endoscopic procedure.
While the patient is not pregnant yet, menstruation has resumed and the doctors are publishing the information so more cancer patients and oncologists can learn about the technique.
If you’d like to read more, the case is published in the 2008 online edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.
Source: ScienceDaily
Related Links: EurekAlert! / AAAS; CNN
Related Podcast: Management of Anal Cancer from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
Technorati Tags: cryopreservation; childbirth; reproductive cancers; female cancers; gynecologic cancer; women’s health
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