Medical teams at NHS Lothian in Edinburgh have completed the first testicular tissue transplant procedure in the United Kingdom, performed on a 19-year-old patient in August. The patient had his testicular tissue removed and frozen three years prior, before undergoing chemotherapy treatment for a serious blood disorder. Following his chemotherapy, tests revealed he had no sperm present in his semen.
The transplanted tissue contains spermatogonial stem cells, which are responsible for producing sperm from puberty onward. Doctors anticipate they will have results within a matter of months regarding whether the procedure has enabled the patient to produce viable sperm. The 19-year-old expressed gratitude for the opportunity, stating that the procedure has provided him hope for the possibility of having biological children in the future.
This transplant represents only the second such procedure reported globally and marks a significant development in fertility preservation for young patients. Chemotherapy can permanently damage cells responsible for sperm production, leaving children who undergo treatment at risk of infertility in adulthood. While semen freezing is an established fertility preservation method for older teenagers and adult men, it is not a viable option for pre-pubescent boys. The new treatment potentially offers a pathway to fertility preservation for children requiring chemotherapy and other treatments.
The procedure was carried out by NHS Lothian medics and supported by funding from Children with Cancer UK, following a decade of research by the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Regeneration and Repair. According to the university, more than 1,200 patients in the UK and 3,100 worldwide have had testicular tissue stored for potential future use. Medical leaders described the transplant as a landmark procedure that represents an important advance for children whose fertility may be affected by necessary medical treatment.
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