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Goossens E, Jahnukainen K, Mitchell RT, van Pelt A, Pennings G, Rives N, Poels J, Wyns C, Lane S, Rodriguez-Wallberg KA, Rives A, Valli-Pulaski H, Steimer S, Kliesch S, Braye A, Andres MM, Medrano J, Ramos L, Kristensen SG, Andersen CY, Bjarnason R, Orwig KE, Neuhaus N, Stukenborg JB. Fertility preservation in boys: recent developments and new insights †. Hum Reprod Open 2020; 2020:hoaa016. [PMID: 32529047 PMCID: PMC7275639 DOI: 10.1093/hropen/hoaa016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Infertility is an important side effect of treatments used for cancer and other non-malignant conditions in males. This may be due to the loss of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) and/or altered functionality of testicular somatic cells (e.g. Sertoli cells, Leydig cells). Whereas sperm cryopreservation is the first-line procedure to preserve fertility in post-pubertal males, this option does not exist for prepubertal boys. For patients unable to produce sperm and at high risk of losing their fertility, testicular tissue freezing is now proposed as an alternative experimental option to safeguard their fertility. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE With this review, we aim to provide an update on clinical practices and experimental methods, as well as to describe patient management inclusion strategies used to preserve and restore the fertility of prepubertal boys at high risk of fertility loss. SEARCH METHODS Based on the expertise of the participating centres and a literature search of the progress in clinical practices, patient management strategies and experimental methods used to preserve and restore the fertility of prepubertal boys at high risk of fertility loss were identified. In addition, a survey was conducted amongst European and North American centres/networks that have published papers on their testicular tissue banking activity. OUTCOMES Since the first publication on murine SSC transplantation in 1994, remarkable progress has been made towards clinical application: cryopreservation protocols for testicular tissue have been developed in animal models and are now offered to patients in clinics as a still experimental procedure. Transplantation methods have been adapted for human testis, and the efficiency and safety of the technique are being evaluated in mouse and primate models. However, important practical, medical and ethical issues must be resolved before fertility restoration can be applied in the clinic.Since the previous survey conducted in 2012, the implementation of testicular tissue cryopreservation as a means to preserve the fertility of prepubertal boys has increased. Data have been collected from 24 co-ordinating centres worldwide, which are actively offering testis tissue cryobanking to safeguard the future fertility of boys. More than 1033 young patients (age range 3 months to 18 years) have already undergone testicular tissue retrieval and storage for fertility preservation. LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION The review does not include the data of all reproductive centres worldwide. Other centres might be offering testicular tissue cryopreservation. Therefore, the numbers might be not representative for the entire field in reproductive medicine and biology worldwide. The key ethical issue regarding fertility preservation in prepubertal boys remains the experimental nature of the intervention. WIDER IMPLICATIONS The revised procedures can be implemented by the multi-disciplinary teams offering and/or developing treatment strategies to preserve the fertility of prepubertal boys who have a high risk of fertility loss. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS The work was funded by ESHRE. None of the authors has a conflict of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Goossens
- Biology of the Testis, Research Laboratory for Reproduction, Genetics and Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - K Jahnukainen
- NORDFERTIL Research Lab Stockholm, Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden.,Division of Haematology-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, New Children's Hospital, Pediatric Research Center, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - R T Mitchell
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh; and the Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Amm van Pelt
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - G Pennings
- Bioethics Institute Ghent, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - N Rives
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, EA 4308 "Gametogenesis and Gamete Quality", Rouen University Hospital, Biology of Reproduction-CECOS Laboratory, F 76000, Rouen, France
| | - J Poels
- Department of Gynecology and Andrology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - C Wyns
- Department of Gynecology and Andrology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - S Lane
- Department of Paediatric Oncology and Haematology, Children's Hospital Oxford, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - K A Rodriguez-Wallberg
- Department of Oncology Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.,Section of Reproductive Medicine, Division of Gynecology and Reproduction, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Rives
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, EA 4308 "Gametogenesis and Gamete Quality", Rouen University Hospital, Biology of Reproduction-CECOS Laboratory, F 76000, Rouen, France
| | - H Valli-Pulaski
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - S Steimer
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - S Kliesch
- Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, Institute of Reproductive and Regenerative Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - A Braye
- Biology of the Testis, Research Laboratory for Reproduction, Genetics and Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - M M Andres
- Reproductive Medicine Unit, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, Spain
| | - J Medrano
- Reproductive Medicine Unit, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, Spain
| | - L Ramos
- Departement of Obstetrics and Gynacology, Division Reproductive Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - S G Kristensen
- Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, The Juliane Marie Centre for Women, Children and Reproduction, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - C Y Andersen
- Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, The Juliane Marie Centre for Women, Children and Reproduction, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - R Bjarnason
- Children's Medical Center, Landspítali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland and Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - K E Orwig
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - N Neuhaus
- Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, Institute of Reproductive and Regenerative Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - J B Stukenborg
- NORDFERTIL Research Lab Stockholm, Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden
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Valli-Pulaski H, Peters KA, Gassei K, Steimer SR, Sukhwani M, Hermann BP, Dwomor L, David S, Fayomi AP, Munyoki SK, Chu T, Chaudhry R, Cannon GM, Fox PJ, Jaffe TM, Sanfilippo JS, Menke MN, Lunenfeld E, Abofoul-Azab M, Sender LS, Messina J, Klimpel LM, Gosiengfiao Y, Rowell EE, Hsieh MH, Granberg CF, Reddy PP, Sandlow JI, Huleihel M, Orwig KE. Testicular tissue cryopreservation: 8 years of experience from a coordinated network of academic centers. Hum Reprod 2019; 34:966-977. [PMID: 31111889 PMCID: PMC6554046 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dez043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Is it feasible to disseminate testicular tissue cryopreservation with a standardized protocol through a coordinated network of centers and provide centralized processing/freezing for centers that do not have those capabilities? SUMMARY ANSWER Centralized processing and freezing of testicular tissue from multiple sites is feasible and accelerates recruitment, providing the statistical power to make inferences that may inform fertility preservation practice. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Several centers in the USA and abroad are preserving testicular biopsies for patients who cannot preserve sperm in anticipation that cell- or tissue-based therapies can be used in the future to generate sperm and offspring. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Testicular tissue samples from 189 patients were cryopreserved between January 2011 and November 2018. Medical diagnosis, previous chemotherapy exposure, tissue weight, and presence of germ cells were recorded. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Human testicular tissue samples were obtained from patients undergoing treatments likely to cause infertility. Twenty five percent of the patient's tissue was donated to research and 75% was stored for patient's future use. The tissue was weighed, and research tissue was fixed for histological analysis with Periodic acid-Schiff hematoxylin staining and/or immunofluorescence staining for DEAD-box helicase 4, and/or undifferentiated embryonic cell transcription factor 1. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The average age of fertility preservation patients was 7.9 (SD = 5) years and ranged from 5 months to 34 years. The average amount of tissue collected was 411.3 (SD = 837.3) mg and ranged from 14.4 mg-6880.2 mg. Malignancies (n = 118) were the most common indication for testicular tissue freezing, followed by blood disorders (n = 45) and other conditions (n = 26). Thirty nine percent (n = 74) of patients had initiated their chemotherapy prior to undergoing testicular biopsy. Of the 189 patients recruited to date, 137 have been analyzed for the presence of germ cells and germ cells were confirmed in 132. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION This is a descriptive study of testicular tissues obtained from patients who were at risk of infertility. The function of spermatogonia in those biopsies could not be tested by transplantation due limited sample size. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Patients and/or guardians are willing to pursue an experimental fertility preservation procedure when no alternatives are available. Our coordinated network of centers found that many patients request fertility preservation after initiating gonadotoxic therapies. This study demonstrates that undifferentiated stem and progenitor spermatogonia may be recovered from the testicular tissues of patients who are in the early stages of their treatment and have not yet received an ablative dose of therapy. The function of those spermatogonia was not tested. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) Support for the research was from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development grants HD061289 and HD092084, the Scaife Foundation, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Departments of Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences and Urology of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), and the Kahn Foundation. The authors declare that they do not have competing financial interests.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Valli-Pulaski
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - K A Peters
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - K Gassei
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - S R Steimer
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - M Sukhwani
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - B P Hermann
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - L Dwomor
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - S David
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - A P Fayomi
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - S K Munyoki
- Integrative Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - T Chu
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - R Chaudhry
- Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - G M Cannon
- Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - P J Fox
- Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - T M Jaffe
- Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - J S Sanfilippo
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - M N Menke
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - E Lunenfeld
- The Center of Advanced Research and Education in Reproduction (CARER) , Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Depratment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - M Abofoul-Azab
- Depratment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - L S Sender
- Hyundai Cancer Institute, CHOC Children’s Hospital, Orange, CA, USA
| | - J Messina
- Hyundai Cancer Institute, CHOC Children’s Hospital, Orange, CA, USA
| | - L M Klimpel
- Hyundai Cancer Institute, CHOC Children’s Hospital, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Y Gosiengfiao
- Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - E E Rowell
- Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - M H Hsieh
- Sheik Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, USA
| | - C F Granberg
- Department of Urology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - P P Reddy
- Division of Pediatric Urology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - J I Sandlow
- Department of Urology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - M Huleihel
- The Center of Advanced Research and Education in Reproduction (CARER) , Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - K E Orwig
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Integrative Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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