Groundbreaking fertility procedure offers new hope for childhood cancer survivors

A pioneering medical procedure supported by Children with Cancer UK is offering fresh hope to boys whose cancer treatment could affect their ability to have children in the future.

Doctors in Edinburgh have carried out the UK’s first transplant of frozen testicular tissue, marking a significant milestone in fertility preservation research. The procedure was performed on a 19-year-old patient who had tissue removed and frozen before receiving chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant to treat a serious blood disorder. Some cancer treatments, including high-dose chemotherapy, can damage the cells responsible for producing sperm. While sperm freezing is available for older teenagers and adults, there are currently very few options to protect the fertility of boys who have not yet reached puberty.

The transplanted tissue contains spermatogonial stem cells, which naturally develop into sperm after puberty. By freezing the tissue before treatment and transplanting it back later, researchers hope it will eventually restore the patient’s ability to produce sperm.

The transplant is only the second reported procedure of its kind worldwide and follows more than a decade of research led by the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian.

A decade of research made possible by supporters

Children with Cancer UK has been proud to support this groundbreaking work since 2015, when funding helped establish the Edinburgh testicular tissue preservation programme. The charity provided additional funding in 2024 to support the transplantation study.

Today, the programme has expanded nationally, with more than 1,200 patients across the UK having tissue stored for potential future use.

Hope for future generations

The young man who underwent the procedure said it had given him “genuine hope for the future”.

He explained that he had long worried about the possibility of infertility and had begun to accept that having children of his own might not be possible. Although it is not yet known whether the transplant will successfully restore fertility, he said that having the opportunity to take part in the research means a great deal to him and could help other young people facing similar challenges.

Researchers will continue to monitor his progress over the coming months. Some of the transplanted tissue will be examined in 2027 to determine whether sperm production has begun.

Professor Rod Mitchell, who leads the study at the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian, described the procedure as an important step towards helping boys whose fertility may be affected by cancer treatment.

This is a big step towards helping boys facing treatments that damage their fertility to have children of their own. Ten years ago, we started our research programme to freeze and store pieces of testicle from boys before they start chemotherapy, to preserve their fertility. We are beginning to see some of these young men return to explore their fertility options. This study offers real hope for future fertility in boys facing cancer treatment.

Tracey Gillies, Medical Director at NHS Lothian, said

This landmark procedure is an important step forward for young people whose future fertility may be affected by the treatment they need to overcome serious illness. The collaboration between NHS clinicians and researchers at the University of Edinburgh highlights the strength of clinical research in Edinburgh and our shared commitment to improving outcomes for patients across Scotland. This is a significant piece of world-leading work, and we are grateful to the patient and his family for helping advance research that could transform care for others in the future

The UK-based patient, who wishes to remain anonymous, said

Fertility is something I’ve struggled with personally for a long time. I’ve always wanted to have children of my own but at some point, I found myself starting to slowly accept that that might never be possible for me. Having this procedure has given me genuine hope for the future. We don’t know yet whether it will work, but knowing that there is now even a possibility means more to me than I can really put into words. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone for giving me this opportunity and for all the work that has made it possible. I also hope that being part of this research means that, in the future, other young people in the same position can have that hope too

The Edinburgh testicular project was established with funding from Children with Cancer UK