Autotransplantation of ovarian tissue and the risk of disease transmission.

Temporary ovarian function has been reported following reimplantation of frozen/thawed cortical tissue and it is hoped that in time this technique will allow women sterilised by treatment for cancer to regain their fertility. There is however a concern, supported by animal data, that ovarian tissue may be contaminated by disease capable of causing a relapse after transplantation. One experiment, in which ovarian tissue from women with lymphoma was xenografted into immunodeficient mice, showed no evidence of transmission but these results require confirmation and no data exists for other malignancies. For the time being, therefore, it is recommended that harvesting and reimplantation of ovarian tissue should only take place within the confines of carefully designed clinical trials.