Helping cancer patients fulfil their desire to have children

Professors Michel De Vos and Ellen Anckaert work at UZ Brussel and are affiliated with VUB. Their research within VUB is focused on unravelling the mechanisms of primordial follicle activation and the final steps of oocyte maturation, and developing an efficient and safe system of in vitro maturation of oocytes. Cancer treatments can be harmful to germ cells. As a result, the chances of a subsequent pregnancy in young cancer patients may be jeopardised. Fertility preservation has gained importance in recent years, to help those patients who wish to have children after the end of cancer treatment. This encompasses a number of techniques and interventions that are usually carried out before the start of cancer treatment and can increase the chances of having a child later. These techniques have already enabled many cancer patients to have children, but there is still room for improvement in efficiency.