German scientists have successfully re-implanted a patient's ovarian tissues following cancer therapy, thus allowing the patient the possibility of becoming pregnant. The case report may be downloaded from the Deutsches Aerzteblatt International (pdf file).

Anal carcinoma was diagnosed in this young patient in 2004 and chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy was recommended. As the ovaries lie near to the tumor, they are often damaged by therapy of this sort and the women become infertile. The Erlangen physicians succeeded in removing healthy ovarian tissue from the woman before treatment and to freeze it. The patient was then given the recommended cancer treatment. She tolerated this well and has not suffered any relapse. On the other hand, her menstrual periods had stopped, in spite of hormone treatment, for two years. For this reason, the patient's conserved ovarian material was inserted endoscopically into her pelvis. She subsequently reported her first menstruation. After this operation, it may be possible for her to become pregnant, although this has not happened yet.

Photo: Wikimpedia