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Nature Medicine 15, 1124 - 1125 (2009)
doi:10.1038/nm1009-1124
Preserving fertility during cancer treatment
Teresa K Woodruff1
- Teresa K. Woodruff is at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Correspondence to: Teresa K Woodruff1 e-mail: tkw@northwestern.edu
Abstract
Imatinib (trade name Gleevec) preserves fertility in female mice treated with the common chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin. Imatinib seems to block an apoptotic pathway activated by cisplatin in ovarian germ cells (pages 1179–1185). The findings could lead to new ways to protect germ cells from the damaging effects of cancer treatment.
For many individuals with cancer, the decision to protect their fertility from the damaging effects of radiation and chemotherapy is complicated by their age, marital status, the time they have to delay treatment and, sometimes, the uncertainty of surviving their disease. In the past two years, a remarkable alignment between oncologists and fertility specialists has increased access to information about the fertility threats of treatment and the options for fertility preservation1.
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RESEARCH
Inhibition of the c-Abl?TAp63 pathway protects mouse oocytes from chemotherapy-induced deathNature Medicine Article (01 Oct 2009)
