title: Safety of ovarian tissue autotransplantation for cancer patients.
abstract: Cancer treatments can induce premature ovarian failure in almost half of young women suffering from invasive neoplasia. Cryopreservation of ovarian cortex and subsequent autotransplantation of frozen-thawed tissue have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional fertility preservation technologies. However, human ovarian tissue is generally harvested before the administration of gonadotoxic treatment and could be contaminated with malignant cells. The safety of autotransplantation of ovarian cortex remains a major concern for fertility preservation units worldwide. This paper discusses the main tools for detecting disseminated cancer cells currently available, their limitations, and clinical relevance.
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory on Human Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Free University of Brussels, 808, Route de Lennik, 1070 Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bockstaele
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsepelidis
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dechene
authors.forename: Yvon
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Englert
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Demeestere