Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation and Subsequent Auto-Transplantation for Female Cancer Patients (HKCH)

Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation and Subsequent Auto-Transplantation for Female

Ovarian tissue freezing is an ideal option for these patients as it can be performed immediately and does not need any time for ovarian stimulation. We hope we can develop this service in our locality to allow more young female cancer patients to have their fertility preserved.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Neoplasms
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation and Subsequent Auto-Transplantation

Detailed Description

To date, transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue has resulted in births of at least 130 children but data on transplantation of ovarian tissue removed before puberty are scarce.

During ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC), it is possible to freeze isolated oocytes. In 2003, Revel et al described for the first time oocyte isolation in children younger than 12 years with seven, eight and seven oocytes isolated from the ovarian cortex of patients aged 5, 8 and 10 years, respectively.

At this moment, financial constraint is another great hindrance to fertility preservation in Hong Kong as the procedure is not cheap. Cryopreservation of gametes and embryos involving assisted reproductive technology is expensive and the costs of fertility preservation impose a great burden to these cancer patients on top of the great expenses for their chemo- or radiotherapy. It is almost impossible for underprivileged families.

Young cancer patients may often need immediate gonadotoxic treatment for their cancer, just like those with haematological cancers. In these patients, egg or embryo freezing is not possible as it takes at least 8-12 days' time for ovarian stimulation. Ovarian tissue freezing is an ideal option for these patients as it can be performed immediately and does not need any time for ovarian stimulation. We hope we can develop this service in our locality to allow more young female cancer patients to have their fertility preserved.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Elaine NG, MPhil; Phone Number: 35052745; Email: elaineng@cuhk.edu.hk

Study Locations

• Hong Kong
  • Hong Kong, Hong Kong
    • Recruiting
    • Hong Kong Children's Hospital
    • Contact: Elaine NG, MPhil; Phone Number: 35052745; Email: elaineng@cuhk.edu.hk
    • Contact: Jacqueline Pui Wah CHUNG, MBBS; Phone Number: 35051537; Email: acquelinechung@cuhk.edu.hk

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients aged from 0-35 years old and diagnosed with cancer e.g., leukaemia, myeloproliferative or myelodysplastic diseases, lymphoma, bone tumours, neurological neoplasms and sarcoma, Paediatric bone marrow transplant patients
• Patients with any illness or who will undergo any type of treatment that may cause irreversible damage to their fertility, such as extensive abdominal surgery, high toxicity medication and treatments;
• Patients suffering from hormone-sensitive malignancies who will undergo medical treatment, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy that is liable to damage their ovaries and deter them from conception in the future.

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients with no anticipated oncologic therapies Patients who are pregnant Children with one ovary Children deemed high risk for perioperative complications Patients unable to provide consent/assent (i.e. significant psychiatric problems/cognitive delay)

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Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: ovarian tissue freezing and subsequent auto-transplantation after thawing; Removal of the ovarian tissue will be retrieved via laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia. The ovarian cortical tissue obtained will be transferred on ice to the laboratory for cryopreservation. After medical treatment, if the patient would like to start a family but has experienced premature ovarian failure, she will have ovarian tissue auto-transplantation after thawing.

Other: Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation and Subsequent Auto-Transplantation; Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation and Subsequent Auto-Transplantation

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Surgical complications	Surgical complications after ovarian tissue transplantation	15 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pregnancy rate	Pregnancy rate after ovarian tissue transplantation	15 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jacqueline Pui Wah CHUNG, MBBS, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 13, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2039
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2041

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 11, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 11, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): July 17, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 8, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 6, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: PAED-2023-079

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No