Procedure offers young cancer patients renewed hope for the future

In an effort to combat infertility sometimes brought about by cancer treatments, a number of children's hospitals are attempting an approach which will mean their patients will hopefully have the chance of becoming parents one day.

By removing and freezing immature ovary and testes tissue, doctors hope that they will give young cancer sufferers the opportunity to start their own families in the future.

While the approach has been known to work in adults, it has not yet been established whether it will boast the same success rate if a child, whose had tissue removed, has not yet reached puberty.

According to fertility researchers, they hope to further explore the concept while the children who have undergone the procedure continue to grow.

Commenting on the potentially groundbreaking procedure, Maria Pisano, whose two-year-old daughter has availed of the service said: "It seemed very new and pretty amazing that we can do something like this and help her in a bigger way."

Opening up about the impact the research has on families of young cancer sufferers, Dr. Erin Rowell of Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital said: "That often is the one piece of information that gives them a glimmer of hope - that we believe their children will live long enough to grow into adulthood and have their own family."