Basic and Clinical Approaches for Fertility Preservation and Restoration in Cancer Patients. Issue 2 (February 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Medrano, Jose V; Andrés, María del Mar; García, Sofía; Herraiz, Sonia; Vilanova-Pérez, Teresa; Goossens, Ellen; Pellicer, Antonio
• Is Part Of: Trends in biotechnology. Volume 36:Issue 2(2018)
• Page Start: 199
• Page End: 215
• Publication Date: 2018-02
• Subjects: fertility preservation -- ovarian cortex cryopreservation -- germ cell transplantation -- testicular tissue grafting -- in vitro maturation -- in vitro differentiation; Biotechnology -- Periodicals; Biochemical engineering -- Periodicals; Genetic engineering -- Periodicals; Industrial microbiology -- Periodicals; 660.605
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.10.010
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0167-7799

Abstract

Abstract : As gonadotoxic adverse effects of antineoplastic treatments can result in infertility, gamete cryopreservation is routinely offered to patients as the strategy to preserve their fertility. However, there are many cases where gold standards cannot be applied, as is the case for prepubertal cancer patients and others unable to produce gametes or their precursors at the moment of diagnosis. With an increasing number of cancer survivors in our society, strategies using either cryopreserved gonadal tissue or stem cells have been developed to allow cancer survivors to achieve fatherhood, and recent advances in the field have increased public interest. In this review, we discuss the latest updates in fertility preservation from a basic and a clinical point of view. Trends: Fertility preservation for gonadotoxicity of antineoplastic therapies represents an important aspect of the quality of life of cancer survivors. Oocyte/embryo vitrification and sperm banking are the gold standards of fertility preservation. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation has already been employed to restore fertility in women. However, in vitro maturation of primordial follicles is still at the research stage in animals. Prepubertal testicular tissue cryopreservation and derived techniques to restore fertility in men have been successful in animal models but not yet in humans. The complete differentiation of iPSCs into gametes has been successful in mouse models but its low efficiency and the need to use a gonadal niche represents a barrier to its translation to humans. Transdifferentiation of somatic cells into germ cells may be a future alternative.