Cancer drug offers surprise hope to infertile women

A drug combination used to treat cancer can restore ovarian tissue to a "pre-pubescent" state and stimulate the growth of new egg cells in the ovaries, according to the "astonishing" results of a new study published in the journal Human Reproduction.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh examined ovarian tissue samples from 14 women who had undergone chemotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma using the combination treatment ABVD.

They found that eight of the participants had between four and ten times as many of the follicles which produce egg cells as healthy women and women treated with other chemotherapy drugs.

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Women are born with a set amount of egg-producing follicles, which are used up or decay over time, making it increasingly hard for women to conceive. Eventually, the egg supply runs out altogether, marking the onset of the menopause.

"We were astonished when we saw what had happened to the tissue," lead researcher Professor Evelyn Telfer told the Daily Telegraph. "It looked like pre-pubescent tissue with a high density of follicles and clustering that you don't normally see in an adult."

She added: "It is the first time that we have ever been able to see new follicles being formed within the ovary."

The implications for fertility treatment "may be significant and far-reaching", said Telfer.

Researchers are unsure of the reason for the unexpected side effect, but believe the growth of new follicles could be a reaction to the "shock" of chemotherapy.

"If research can reveal the mechanism, it would help scientists understand how women could produce more eggs during their lifetime, which was until now thought to be impossible," says the Telegraph.

Following that, the next stage would be to assess whether the egg follicles generated by ABVD can produce a mature egg able to be fertilised and develop into a viable embryo.