Robert W. Rebar, MD reviewing Druckenmiller S et al. Obstet Gynecol 2016 Mar.

Probabilities of success are still impossible to estimate.

Oocyte cryopreservation is presented to young women with cancer as one approach to preserving their reproductive potential before gonadotoxic therapy. Still, only about 3000 live births have been reported worldwide (and very few of them in cancer survivors). In a retrospective study, researchers at one university-based infertility center documented the efficacy of this treatment between 2005 and 2014.

In all, 176 women (median age, 31; 75 with breast cancer, 51 with gynecologic cancer, 32 with hematologic cancer, 18 with other malignancies) completed 182 oocyte cryopreservation cycles before beginning cancer therapy. Median time from consult request to oocyte retrieval following ovarian stimulation was 12 days. Overall, a median of 15 oocytes was retrieved and 15 were cryopreserved with a median of 10 in metaphase II (the stage at which fertilization is possible). Ten women attempted pregnancy (in 11 cycles), with four delivering five infants (one set of twins). A median of 7 oocytes were thawed per cycle. The survival rate for thawed oocytes was 86%; among these, the fertilization rate was 72%. A median of two (range, 1–4) embryos were transferred, suggesting that many embryos did not develop normally. The implantation rate for transferred embryos was 27%.

Citation(s):

Druckenmiller S et al. Successful oocyte cryopreservation in reproductive-aged cancer survivors. Obstet Gynecol 2016 Mar; 127:474.

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