'Pioneering' surgery means young cancer patient may have children
The NHS Lothian trial could help boys preserve fertility after sterilizing cancer treatment, and doctors will check for sperm production in about six months.
- 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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11 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.
"We don't know yet if it will succeed, but knowing that there is now even a possibility means more to me than I can really put into words," the student said.
Groundbreaking Testicular Transplant on 19-Year-Old in Britain May Open up New Avenues for Fertility
Doctors in Edinburgh have carried out an extremely rare transplant, using testicular tissue that had been preserved before the young patient's chemotherapy.
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