Uterine transposition for fertility preservation prior to pelvic irradiation: an initial Egyptian case series

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Recently, uterine transposition has been proposed as a novel technique for fertility preservation in young females undergoing radiation therapy for pelvic malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is an interventional pilot study including six female patients with pelvic malignancies planned to receive pelvic radiation aiming at preserving their fertility after a multidisciplinary team decision to have uterine transposition. Our study aims to assess the feasibility of this novel technique. RESULTS: Six patients underwent uterine transposition. Three of them were done through open technique, with successful repositioning. The other three patients underwent laparoscopic uterine transposition, one of them underwent repositioning and still receiving chemotherapy for Ewing's sarcoma, the other two patients are still receiving radiation therapy after transposition. Unfortunately, one of them died of disease and adjuvant therapy complications four months after laparoscopic uterine transposition. CONCLUSION: Uterine transposition is a feasible procedure with safe outcomes. The preliminary results carry a promising hope for better fertility preservation in young patients undergoing radiation for pelvic malignancies.