title: Spontaneous antral follicle formation and metaphase II oocyte from a non-stimulated prepubertal ovarian tissue xenotransplant.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Current strategies in cancer treatment have markedly increased the rates of remission and survival for cancer patients, but are often associated with subsequent sterility. While there are various options available to an adult female depending on the patient's particular situation, the only realistic option for preserving fertility in prepubertal females is to cryopreserve ovarian tissue. This is the first report of a morphologically mature oocyte collected from non-stimulated prepubertal ovarian tissue xenotransplants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ovarian tissue from a 6 year old patient suffering from nephroblastoma was removed and cryopreserved for fertility preservation. The frozen-thawed ovarian tissue fragments were xenotransplanted to bilaterally oophorectomized severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice to assess follicle development.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Antral follicle formation occurred post-xenotransplantation in a single ovarian fragment without exogenous hormone stimulation. A morphologically maturing oocyte was harvested from these follicles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prepubertal human ovarian follicles and oocytes can be matured after xenotransplantation even without exogenous hormone stimulation. These results indicate that tissue collected from prepubertal patients can support fertility in cancer survivors.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lotz
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liebenthron
authors.forename: Stephanie M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Nichols-Burns
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montag
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Matthias W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Beckmann
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van der Ven
authors.forename: Dagmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Töpfer
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erlangen University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany. ralf.dittrich@uk-erlangen.de.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dittrich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D015925:Cryopreservation; D005260:Female; D059247:Fertility Preservation; D006801:Humans; D059471:In Vitro Oocyte Maturation Techniques; D008677:Metaphase; D016513:Mice, SCID; D009334:Neck Muscles; D009866:Oogenesis; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000166:cytology*; D010052:Ovariectomy; D010053:Ovary / Q000166:cytology / Q000637:transplantation*; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D016042:Transplantation, Heterotopic