First pregnancy in China after ovarian tissue transplantation to prevent premature ovarian insufficiency

Practice guideline on ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation in the prevention and treatment of iatrogenic premature ovarian insufficiency

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) refers to the decline of ovarian function before the age of 40. POI causes a reduction in or loss of female fertility, accompanied by different degrees of menopausal symptoms, which increases the risk of chronic diseases related to early menopause and seriously affects patients' quality of life and health. It is conservatively estimated that at least one million prepubertal girls and women of reproductive age in China are at risk of iatrogenic POI caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy every year. With the development of medical technology and the breakthrough of scientific and technological advances, preventing and treating iatrogenic POI have become possible. International and national guidelines consider cryopreserved ovarian tissue transplantation to be the most promising method of preserving the ovarian function and fertility of prepubertal girls and women of reproductive age who cannot delay radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In order to guide the clinical application of ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation technology in China, the Guideline Working Group finally included 14 scientific questions and 18 recommendations through a questionnaire survey, field investigation, and consultation of a large number of Chinese and English literature databases in order to provide a reference for colleagues in clinical practice.

Successful pregnancy rates amongst patients undergoing ovarian tissue cryopreservation for non-malignant indications: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) is a fertility preservation method that has been clinically applied for almost 30 years. Studies specifically evaluating patients presenting with non-malignant indications for OTC and their subsequent pregnancy rates are limited.

OBJECTIVE

To summarise the evidence on the rates of successful pregnancy amongst women who have undergone OTC for non-malignant indications.

METHODS

A systematic review with meta-analysis (PROSPERO registration CRD42022307925) was conducted to investigate the pregnancy outcomes of patients who have undergone ovarian tissue cryopreservation for non-malignant indications. Articles published in EMBASE and Ovid MEDLINE before October 2022 were screened for inclusion based on the following criteria: original human studies pertaining to OTC with a defined non-malignant cohort and pregnancy outcomes. The successful pregnancy rates were pooled with a random-effects model of double-arcsine transformed proportions. Sensitivity analysis involved pooling the results of studies with a low risk of bias after being assessed with NIH tools.

RESULTS

The database search retrieved 3,225 results, of which 16 were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled successful pregnancy rate was 23.52 % (16 studies, 95 % CI 6.48 to 44.79 %). When subgroup analysis of study types was performed, the successful pregnancy rate was higher amongst case series (47.02 %, 9 studies, 95 % CI 6.98 to 89.00 %) than cohort studies (14.64 %, 7 studies, 95 % CI 3.59 to 29.78 %). Sensitivity analysis limited to studies at low risk of bias revealed a similar pooled successful pregnancy rate of 23.35 % (12 studies, 95 % CI 2.50 to 51.96 %).

CONCLUSIONS

Approximately one quarter of women who underwent OTC for non-malignant indications had a successful pregnancy. These findings are clinically important for fertility preservation counselling by providing greater evidence for more informed care.

Optimized study of an in vitro 3D culture of preantral follicles in mice

BACKGROUND

In vitro culture of preantral follicles is a promising technology for fertility preservation.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to investigate an optimized three-dimensional (3D) fetal bovine serum (FBS)-free preantral follicle culture system having a simple and easy operation.

METHODS

The isolated follicles from mouse ovaries were randomly divided in an ultra-low attachment 96-well plates supplement with FBS or bovine serum albumin (BSA) culture or encapsulated with an alginate supplement with FBS or BSA culture. Meanwhile, estradiol (E₂) concentration was assessed through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of culture supernatants. The diameter of follicular growth was measured, and the lumen of the follicle was photographed. Spindle microtubules of oocytes were detected via immunofluorescence. The ability of oocytes to fertilize was assessed using in vitro fertilization.

RESULTS

The diameters were larger for the growing secondary follicles cultured in ultra-low attachment 96-well plates than in the alginate gel on days 6, 8, and 10 (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the E₂ concentration in the BSA-supplemented medium was significantly higher in the alginate gel than in the other three groups on days 6 and 8 (p < 0.05), and the oocytes in the FBS-free system could complete meiosis and fertilization in vitro.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study furnishes insights into the mature oocytes obtained from the 3D culture of the preantral follicle by using ultra-low attachment 96-well plate with an FBS-free system in vitro and supports the clinical practices to achieve competent, mature oocytes for in vitro fertilization.

Expert consensus on fertility preservation in patients with breast cancer occurring during pregnancy

The prevalence of breast cancer currently ranks first among Chinese women with malignant tumors, occurring during premenopausal childbearing age in more than 60% of patients. With the increasing age of women at childbirth, the wide application of assisted reproductive technology (ART) and the rejuvenation of tumor patients, the prevalence of breast cancer occurring during pregnancy (PrBC) is gradually increasing. There are many domestic and foreign expert consensus articles and guidelines on fertility preservation for children and patients of childbearing age with malignant tumors, but there is a lack of expert consensus or guidelines on fertility preservation for patients with PrBC. Considering the uniqueness of PrBC patients, there is an urgent need for a standardized suggestion regarding their fertility preservation. The Committee of Fertility Protection and Preservation of China Association for the Promotion of Health Science and Technology together with the Chinese Society of Gynecological Endocrinology affiliated with the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology (CSGE-ISGE) organized relevant experts from different disciplines to formulate this consensus to guide fertility preservation of PrBC patients.

A Systematic Review of Ovarian Tissue Transplantation Outcomes by Ovarian Tissue Processing Size for Cryopreservation

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) is the only pre-treatment option currently available to preserve fertility for prepubescent girls and patients who cannot undergo ovarian stimulation. Currently, there is no standardized method of processing ovarian tissue for cryopreservation, despite evidence that fragmentation of ovaries may trigger primordial follicle activation. Because fragmentation may influence ovarian transplant function, the purpose of this systematic review was (1) to identify the processing sizes and dimensions of ovarian tissue within sites around the world, and (2) to examine the reported outcomes of ovarian tissue transplantation including, reported duration of hormone restoration, pregnancy, and live birth. A total of 2,252 abstracts were screened against the inclusion criteria. In this systematic review, 103 studies were included for analysis of tissue processing size and 21 studies were included for analysis of ovarian transplantation outcomes. Only studies where ovarian tissue was cryopreserved (via slow freezing or vitrification) and transplanted orthotopically were included in the review. The size of cryopreserved ovarian tissue was categorized based on dimensions into strips, squares, and fragments. Of the 103 studies, 58 fertility preservation sites were identified that processed ovarian tissue into strips (62%), squares (25.8%), or fragments (31%). Ovarian tissue transplantation was performed in 92 participants that had ovarian tissue cryopreserved into strips (n = 51), squares (n = 37), and fragments (n = 4). All participants had ovarian tissue cryopreserved by slow freezing. The pregnancy rate was 81.3%, 45.5%, 66.7% in the strips, squares, fragment groups, respectively. The live birth rate was 56.3%, 18.2%, 66.7% in the strips, squares, fragment groups, respectively. The mean time from ovarian tissue transplantation to ovarian hormone restoration was 3.88 months, 3.56 months, and 3 months in the strips, squares, and fragments groups, respectively. There was no significant difference between the time of ovarian function' restoration and the size of ovarian tissue. Transplantation of ovarian tissue, regardless of its processing dimensions, restores ovarian hormone activity in the participants that were reported in the literature. More detailed information about the tissue processing size and outcomes post-transplant are required to identify a preferred or more successful processing method.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

[https://www.crd.york.ac.uk], identifier [CRD42020189120].

Analysis of Fertility Preservation by Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation in Pediatric Children in China

BACKGROUND

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) is the only method of fertility preservation (FP) in prepubertal girls, but the experience remains limited. This study investigates the effectiveness and feasibility of FP of OTC in children facing gonadotoxicity treatment in Chinese first ovarian tissue cryobank.

PROCEDURE

OTC and evaluation of 49 children ≤14 years old in the cryobank of Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, from July 2017 to May 19, 2022, were analyzed retrospectively. We compared children's general characteristics, follicle numbers, and hormone levels with and without chemotherapy before OTC.

RESULTS

The age of 49 children at the time of OTC was 7.55 (1-14) years old. There were 23 cases of hematological non-malignant diseases, eight cases of hematological malignant diseases, four cases of gynecological malignant tumors, one case of neurological malignant tumors, one case of bladder cancer, five cases of sarcoma, three cases of mucopolysaccharidosis, one case of metachromatic leukodystrophy, two cases of dermatomyositis, one case of Turner's syndrome. The median follicular count per 2-mm biopsy was 705. Age and AMH were not correlated (r = 0.084, P = 0.585). Age and follicle count per 2-mm biopsy was not correlated (r = -0.128, P = 0.403). Log10 (follicle count per 2-mm biopsy) and Log10 (AMH) were not correlated (r = -0.118, P = 0.456). Chemotherapy before OTC decreased AMH levels but had no significant effect on the number of follicles per 2-mm biopsy.

CONCLUSIONS

OTC is the only method to preserve the fertility of prepubertal girls, and it is safe and effective. Chemotherapy before OTC is not a contraindication to OTC.

Ovarian tissue bank for fertility preservation and anti-menopause hormone replacement

Traditional fertility preservation methods such as embryo or oocyte cryopreservation cannot meet the needs of a cancer patient or for personal reasons. The cryopreservation of ovarian tissue can be an alternative and has become a hot spot to preserve fertility or hormone replacement. The freezing of ovarian tissue can be carried out at any time without ovarian hyperstimulation to retrieve follicles. It is an ideal strategy to preserve reproductive function in children, adolescent cancer patients, and patients who are in urgent need of cancer treatment. With the increasing demands of women with premature ovarian failure or in menopause, ovarian tissue transplantation is also an alternative for hormone replacement that can provide physiological doses of hormone levels, which can avoid a series of risks such as thrombosis, breast cancer, or other hormone-dependent tumors, caused by oral hormone replacement. Hence, ovarian tissue banking can be regarded as a mainstream strategy for fertility preservation and anti-menopause hormone replacement in further clinical investigation.

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation in a patient with breast cancer during pregnancy: a case report

BACKGROUND

Fertility preservation using ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) in patients with certain diseases, especially those needing chemo- or radiotherapy, is becoming routine in various Western countries. Our hospital is the first and until now the only centre in China to use this method. The question of whether treatment of breast cancer during pregnancy (PrBC) should be similar to non-pregnant young patients with breast cancer is controversial. To our knowledge, this is the first report worldwide to use OTC as fertility preservation for PrBC.

CASE PRESENTATION

During the 29th week of pregnancy, a 24-year-old woman underwent needle aspiration cytology of a left breast tumour. Ultrasound and cytology revealed BI-RADS 4a grade. Oncologists recommended termination of the pregnancy. Caesarean section was performed at week 32, and ovarian tissue samples were collected for OTC to preserve fertility and ovarian endocrine function. Twenty-three ovarian cortex slices were cryopreserved. It is estimated that 13,000 follicles were cryopreserved. Breast nodules and sentinel lymph node biopsy suggested invasive micropapillary carcinoma. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was started within 1 week after diagnosis. After six courses of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy and goserelin acetate, left mastectomy and left axillary lymph node dissection were performed. In total, 23 doses of radiotherapy, eight trastuzumab targeted therapy treatments, and 17 pertuzumab + trastuzumab double targeted therapy treatments were performed after breast cancer surgery. Until now, more than 2 years after delivery, the ovarian function still is good, and no signs of a negative impact of OTC have been observed. Goserelin acetate injections, administered every 28 days, are planned to last for the next 5 years. In addition, endocrine therapy with anastrozole was started after breast cancer surgery and also is scheduled for 5 years.

CONCLUSION

OTC for fertility preservation in patients with PrBC does not delay breast surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, which is essential for effective treatment of breast cancer. We assess this method as a promising fertility preservation method which was used here for the first time worldwide in a patient who developed breast cancer during pregnancy.