UZ Brussel aims to restore fertility through transplantation of frozen testicular tissue
UZ Brussel, in collaboration with Brussels IVF, has announced a procedure that could help childhood cancer survivors regain fertility. The university hospital recently performed the world's first transplant of frozen testicular tissue on a man rendered infertile by chemotherapy during childhood.
Boys undergoing aggressive treatments like chemotherapy or radiotherapy before puberty face a high risk of infertility, as these therapies can destroy the stem cells in their testicles responsible for sperm production. To counter this, testicular tissue can be removed and frozen before treatment. While prepubescent boys do not produce sperm, their testicular tissue contains stem cells that could generate sperm after puberty.
“This transplant marks a major milestone,” UZ Brussel said in a press release. The procedure builds on their 2002 achievement, when the hospital became the first institution to freeze and store testicular tissue successfully.
The transplant patient will be monitored every three months for a year, during which time sperm samples will be taken and blood samples analysed.
After one year, the transplanted tissue will be removed and examined to determine whether it produces sperm cells. To ensure accuracy, a small piece of tissue from another area of the testicle will also be tested.
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