'Pioneering' surgery means young cancer patient may have children
Doctors transplanted frozen testicular tissue into a young man after chemotherapy, a first for the UK and only the second reported worldwide.
- Doctors in Edinburgh performed the first UK-based testicular tissue transplant on a young man this year, a pioneering procedure conducted by NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh that marks only the second such operation reported worldwide.
- Researchers at the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian spent more than 10 years developing a program to preserve testicular tissue from boys before they undergo treatments for cancer that damage fertility.
- A 19-year-old student had testicular tissue removed and frozen in 2023 before undergoing a bone marrow transplant for a blood disorder. Doctors transplanted the tissue back into his body in August 2026, hoping it will begin producing sperm.
- The patient has recovered well following the procedure and will be closely monitored. In six months, doctors will remove and examine transplanted tissue to determine whether sperm production has begun.
- This procedure offers hope for children facing cancer treatments that damage fertility. A similar approach demonstrated in Belgium earlier this year produced mature sperm, marking significant progress in preserving fertility for young patients.
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7 Articles
UK doctors transplant frozen testicular tissue to restore fertility
Doctors in Edinburgh have performed a pioneering procedure to transplant a young man's testicular tissue that was frozen before he underwent chemotherapy, in a potential breakthrough for male fertility preservation.
Sky News UK
'Pioneering' surgery means young cancer patient may have children
Testicular tissue was taken and frozen in 2023 when the boy was aged 16, before he had chemotherapy, which was needed ahead of a bone marrow transplant for a serious blood disorder.
Testicular transplant to restore fertility is UK first
Pioneering procedure transplants the testicular tissue of a young man that was frozen before he underwent chemotherapy. Doctors in Edinburgh have successfully transplanted frozen testicular tissue in what’s could be a huge breakthrough for the preserving male fertility. In 2023, a then 19 year-old student…
Christinareal research Experimental technique A team of NHS doctors Lothian and scientists at the University of Edinburgh has performed the first frozen testicular tissue transplant in the United Kingdom (and the second in the world). The procedure was carried out in August 2026 in a 19-year-old student. The boy, who wishes to remain anonymous, underwent the removal and freezing of his testicular tissue in 2023 before a bone marrow transplant to…
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