Fertility preservation for prepubertal boys: lessons learned from the past and update on remaining challenges towards clinical translation

AbstractBACKGROUNDChildhood cancer incidence and survivorship are both on the rise. However, many lifesaving treatments threaten the prepubertal testis. Cryopreservation of immature testicular tissue (ITT), containing spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), as a fertility preservation (FP) option for this population is increasingly proposed worldwide. Recent achievements notably the birth of non-human primate (NHP) progeny using sperm developed in frozen-thawed ITT autografts has given proof of principle of the reproductive potential of banked ITT. Outlining the current state of the art on FP for prepubertal boys is crucial as some of the boys who have cryopreserved ITT since the early 2000s are now in their reproductive age and are already seeking answers with regards to their fertility.OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALEIn the light of past decade achievements and observations, this review aims to provide insight into relevant questions for clinicians involved in FP programmes. Have the indications for FP for prepubertal boys changed over time? What is key for patient counselling and ITT sampling based on the latest achievements in animals and research performed with human ITT? How far are we from clinical application of methods to restore reproductive capacity with cryostored ITT?SEARCH METHODSAn extensive search for articles published in English or French since January 2010 to June 2020 using keywords relevant to the topic of FP for prepubertal boys was made in the MEDLINE database through...
Source: Human Reproduction Update - Category: OBGYN Source Type: research