‘A Huge Step Forward’: Research Breakthrough Sparks Hope For Preserving Fertility Of Young Boys With Cancer
"Fertility issues for kids with cancer were ignored" for years, said University of Pittsburgh reproductive scientist Kyle Orwig. "Many of us dream of growing up and having our own families. We hope our research will help these young patients to do that." Until now, boys hadn't had a realistic option to preserve their fertility, but that may be changing.
The Associated Press:
Monkey Birth A Step To Saving Fertility Of Boys With Cancer
Scientists are closing in on a way to help young boys undergoing cancer treatment preserve their future fertility — and the proof is the first monkey born from the experimental technology. More and more people are surviving childhood cancer, but nearly 1 in 3 will be left infertile from the chemotherapy or radiation that helped save their life. (3/21)
The Washington Post:
Advance Offers New Hope For Fertility Preservation In Young Boys With Cancer
Susan Taymans, program director of the fertility and infertility branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and who oversaw the funding of the study, said that while this experiment was small and limited to monkeys, it raises “a good bit of hope” that the technique can be further developed for use in regular medical practice — possibly even in the lifetime of today’s boys. (Cha, 3/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
New Hope For Fertility Of Young Cancer Patients Using Frozen Testicular Tissue
“I’m excited about this work because it truly addresses a need in human clinical care,” says Robert Brannigan, a professor of urology at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine who wasn’t involved in the work, noting that the procedure is still experimental. “The proof of principle is one that’s very encouraging.” (Abbott, 3/21)
