title: Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue in breast cancer patients: 10 years of experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To present a decade of experience with ovarian tissue cryopreservation in breast cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The safety of the procedure was histologically evaluated before and after freezing in 94 patients. Out of 94 patients, 48 prechemotherapy patients were randomly selected to determine stroma and follicle preservation and follicular density.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ovarian tissue from 94 patients did not identify any micrometastases. After cryopreservation, morphology of the ovarian tissue and density of healthy follicles were similar in fresh and frozen tissue. Follicular density decreased with the increasing age of patients in both fresh and frozen tissue (p < 0.0001). A variation in follicular density was observed between fresh and frozen tissue (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that ovarian tissue cryopreservation is highly feasible for preserving the fertility of young breast cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Gynecology & Pathophysiology of Human Reproduction Unit, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, via Massarenti, 13, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fabbri
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vicenti
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Magnani
authors.forename: Gianandrea
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pasquinelli
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Macciocca
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Parazza
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Paradisi
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Battaglia
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Venturoli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D059247:Fertility Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000502:physiology; D010053:Ovary; D055815:Young Adult