Clinical Aspects of Ovarian Transplantation

摘要

In the year 2001, over 625,000 women in the United States will be afflicted with invasive cancer. It is estimated that 8%, or 50,000, of these women will be under the age of 40. With modern improvements in treatment regimens, which include aggressive chemo- and radiotherapy, as well as bone marrow transplantation (BMT), cure rates can exceed 90%3. However, the alkylating agents, which are commonly used in chemotherapy regimens, as well as ionizing radiation, induce premature ovarian failure in the majority of these patients. This is a significant consequence of cancer treatment, since patients are not only rendered infertile but will also undergo premature menopause.