The purpose of this study is to safely remove ovarian tissue in pediatric patients, who are at risk for infertility from their medical treatment, for freezing for future restoration of fertility and hormone function.
Participants are invited to take part in this study because they will be treated with chemotherapy, radiation and/or surgery that will likely affect the child's ovaries and cause the child to become infertile (unable to become pregnant) in the future. The ovaries are reproductive glands found only in females. These glands are located in the pelvis (hip area). The ovaries produce eggs and female hormones. During each monthly menstrual cycle, an egg is released from one ovary. This study seeks to find out if removing an ovary in adolescents and children who have reached puberty, and who are about to undergo chemotherapy and/or radiation may preserve, or keep, their ability to have children in the future. The optional ovarian tissue that is removed for research will also be used to study better ways to store the ovarian tissue and to improve of the tissue in the future. This study has two parts: the removal of the ovarian tissue, and the storage of the ovarian tissue. A process called Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation will be used to store the removed ovarian tissue. This kind of freezing is a special method that is used to try to prevent the eggs from being damaged, and to keep them frozen for a long time. The frozen tissue will be available to the child to be used at a later time. As a part of the study the investigator is asking participants to donate a 3-4mm biopsy (less than 10% of the ovary) of their ovarian tissue to future research before it is stored for their own use. The investigator also enrolls patients in a database study for yearly survey evaluation for long term outcome of ovarian tissue removal and potential restoration. Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation involves a surgical procedure where ovarian tissue of post pubertal patients is surgically removed and frozen, with the ultimate goal that their tissue may be used in the future to restore fertility when experimental techniques emerge from the research pipeline. Participation in the study is voluntary.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
250
Surgery used to remove the child's ovary tissue is called laparoscopic surgery. Laparoscopic surgery employs a telescope-like instrument called laparoscope. The laparoscope will be put into the child's belly through a small (about half an inch) cut just below the belly button. Two or three other cuts may be made to allow for other instruments to help remove one of the ovaries. The surgeon will then look at both ovaries before the removal of one. Both of the child's ovaries must appear normal and be free of any masses in order to complete the surgery. The surgeon will choose which ovary will be removed at the time of surgery. This type of surgery is likely to last for 30 to 65 minutes.
Ann &Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital
Chicago, Illinois, United States
RECRUITINGOvarian Tissue Freezing for Fertility Preservation in Post-Pubertal Children Facing a Fertility Threatening Medical Diagnosis or Treatment Regimen
Most of surgically removed tissue will be stored for the child's future use. Participants have the option of donating for research purposes a small piece of the ovarian tissue, a small amount of the child's blood and the media used to process the ovarian tissue (which is otherwise discarded, for research which evaluates optimizing ovarian cryopreservation and fertility restoration techniques.
Time frame: 3 months
Annual survey follow-up for participants who undergo ovarian tissue cryopreservation
The research study coordinator will contact families by email or telephone once per year and ask a series of questions related to ovarian function, such as frequency of menstruation.
Time frame: yearly for up to 20 years
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