title: A review of 15 years of ovarian tissue bank activities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review 15 years of activities in ovarian tissue cryobanking from medical database files, including patient indications, histological evaluation and clinical characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective longitudinal analysis of data from an ovarian tissue bank in an academic hospital. Five hundred and eighty-two patients had their ovarian tissue cryobanked between April 1997 and January 2012. Analysis of cryobanking database: precryopreservation patient characteristics, indications and safety issues, laboratory files and postcryopreservation clinical data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 582 patients who had their ovarian tissue cryopreserved, 106 patients donated for research purposes and 476 patients for fertility preservation and long-term cryopreservation. Clinical data analysis of the 476 patients revealed a mean age at the time of cryopreservation of 23 ± 8.5 years (range: 9 months - 39 years), with 96.2 % of subjects aged ≤35 years (n = 458). Among 391 cases of malignant disease, hematological malignancies (39.9 %, n = 156) and breast cancer (21.7 %, n = 85) were the two main indications. At histology, malignant cells were found in ovarian tissue from leukemia patients (n = 3) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients (n = 2). Eleven patients underwent autotransplantation, resulting in 5 live births and 1 ongoing pregnancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the largest and most comprehensive study to describe and analyze indications and clinical patient characteristics before and after ovarian tissue cryopreservation. The procedure is safe, easy and promising. The database concept is a useful tool in patient selection for autotransplantation.
authors: Department of Gynecology, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Mounier 52, Brussels, Belgium. marie-madeleine.dolmans@uclouvain.be
authors: Marie-Madeleine
authors: MM
authors: Dolmans
authors: Pascale
authors: P
authors: Jadoul
authors: Sébastien
authors: S
authors: Gilliaux
authors: Christiani A
authors: CA
authors: Amorim
authors: Valérie
authors: V
authors: Luyckx
authors: Jean
authors: J
authors: Squifflet
authors: Jacques
authors: J
authors: Donnez
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Van Langendonckt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015925:Cryopreservation; D005260:Female; D059247:Fertility Preservation; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014015:Tissue Banks