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Anne Van Langendonckt

Bio: Anne Van Langendonckt is an academic researcher from Université catholique de Louvain. The author has contributed to research in topics: Transplantation & Endometriosis. The author has an hindex of 46, co-authored 78 publications receiving 5888 citations. Previous affiliations of Anne Van Langendonckt include Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Advances in reproductive technology have made fertility preservation techniques a real possibility for patients whose gonadal function is threatened by premature menopause, or by treatments such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy or surgical castration, the review concludes.
Abstract: The review covers current options for ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation and provides a systematic review of the existing literature from the last 10 years, taking into account all previously published reviews on the subject. The different cryopreservation options available for fertility preservation in cancer patients are embryo cryopreservation, oocyte cryopreservation and ovarian tissue cryopreservation. The choice depends on various parameters: the type and timing of chemotherapy, the type of cancer, the patient's age and the partner status. The different options and their results are discussed, as well as their putative indications and efficacy. The review concludes that advances in reproductive technology have made fertility preservation techniques a real possibility for patients whose gonadal function is threatened by premature menopause, or by treatments such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy or surgical castration.

407 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
21 Oct 2010-Blood
TL;DR: By quantitative RT-PCR, ovarian contamination by malignant cells in acute as well as chronic leukemia is demonstrated, whereas histology fails to do so, and chemotherapy before ovarian cryopreservation does not exclude malignant contamination.

361 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Current evidence supports the feasibility of ITT cryopreservation before gonadotoxic treatment with a view to fertility preservation, and the putative indications for such techniques, as well as their limitations according to disease are outlined.
Abstract: Fertility in adult life may be severely impaired by gonadotoxic therapies. For young boys who do not yet produce spermatozoa, cryopreservation of immature testicular tissue (ITT) is an option to preserve their fertility, albeit still experimental. This paper covers current options for ITT cryopreservation and fertility restoration. Relevant studies were identified by an extensive Medline search of English and French language articles. Search terms were: gonadotoxicity, cytoprotection, cryopreservation, ITT, spermatogonia, testicular transplantation, testicular grafting and in vitro maturation (IVM). Although no effective gonadoprotective drug is yet available for in vivo spermatogonial stem cell protection in humans, current evidence supports the feasibility of ITT cryopreservation before gonadotoxic treatment with a view to fertility preservation. Controlled slow freezing with dimethyl sulfoxide allows survival and proliferation of human spermatogonia after xenotransplantation, but only partial differentiation. Animal data look promising, since healthy offsprings have been obtained after transplantation of frozen testicular cell suspensions or tissue pieces. However, none of the fertility restoration options from frozen tissue, i.e. cell suspension transplantation, tissue grafting and IVM have proved efficient and safe in humans as yet. While additional evidence is required to define optimal conditions for ITT cryopreservation with a view to transplantation or IVM, the putative indications for such techniques, as well as their limitations according to disease, are outlined.

240 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the survival, proliferation and differentiation capacity of spermatogonia after cryopreservation and long-term transplantation of immature testicular tissue pieces were studied.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Preservation of the male germ line in prepubertal boys undergoing gonadotoxic treatment is a crucial consideration in terms of their future quality of life. As these patients do not yet produce spermatozoa for freezing, only immature tissue is available for storage. We studied the survival, proliferation and differentiation capacity of spermatogonia after cryopreservation and long-term transplantation of immature testicular tissue pieces. METHODS: Single pieces of testicular tissue (2-8 mm(3)) from prepubertal boys (7-14 years) were cryopreserved, thawed and transplanted into the scrotum of mice for 6 months. Upon removal, histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural analyses and testicular sperm extraction (TESE) were used to evaluate the tissue. RESULTS: Histology showed 55 +/- 42% of tubules to be intact. MAGE-A4 immunostaining showed mean spermatogonial recovery to be 3.7 +/- 5.5%, with 35% of these cells expressing Ki67, evidencing proliferation in tissue from boys <14 years of age. No apoptosis was found, as demonstrated by the absence of active caspase-3 and TUNEL staining. Numerous premeiotic spermatocytes, a few spermatocytes at the pachytene stage and spermatid-like cells were observed. No immunostaining was observed for lactate dehydrogenase-C, ACE or proacrosin, indicating that the spermatid-like structures observed by histology did not express the meiotic and post-meiotic markers characteristic of normal spermatids. No ultrastructural alterations of the tissue were encountered. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates that spermatogonia are able to survive and proliferate after cryopreservation and long-term transplantation. Complete regeneration of normal spermatogenesis was not observed since, beyond the pachytene stage, no adequate characterization of germ cells was obtained. Further studies are thus required to investigate the differentiation potential of cryopreserved germ cells.

199 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Endometriotic cyst formation and associated structural tissue alterations in apparently normal ovarian cortex may be a cause of reduced ovarian reserve and early diagnosis and intervention may be beneficial in women with endometriomas to protect their ovarian function.

198 citations


Cited by
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DOI
18 Feb 2015

1,457 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Health care providers should address the possibility of infertility with patients treated during their reproductive years and be prepared to discuss fertility preservation options and/or to refer all potential patients to appropriate reproductive specialists.
Abstract: Purpose To update guidance for health care providers about fertility preservation for adults and children with cancer.

1,328 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Endometriosis is estrogen-dependent, manifests during reproductive years and is associated with pain and infertility, while lesion eradication is considered a fertility-enhancing procedure, the benefit on reproductive performance is moderate.
Abstract: Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial-type mucosa outside the uterine cavity. Of the proposed pathogenic theories (retrograde menstruation, coelomic metaplasia and Mullerian remnants), none explain all the different types of endometriosis. According to the most convincing model, the retrograde menstruation hypothesis, endometrial fragments reaching the pelvis via transtubal retrograde flow, implant onto the peritoneum and abdominal organs, proliferate and cause chronic inflammation with formation of adhesions. The number and amount of menstrual flows together with genetic and environmental factors determines the degree of phenotypic expression of the disease. Endometriosis is estrogen-dependent, manifests during reproductive years and is associated with pain and infertility. Dysmenorrhoea, deep dyspareunia, dyschezia and dysuria are the most frequently reported symptoms. Standard diagnosis is carried out by direct visualization and histologic examination of lesions. Pain can be treated by excising peritoneal implants, deep nodules and ovarian cysts, or inducing lesion suppression by abolishing ovulation and menstruation through hormonal manipulation with progestins, oral contraceptives and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists. Medical therapy is symptomatic, not cytoreductive; surgery is associated with high recurrence rates. Although lesion eradication is considered a fertility-enhancing procedure, the benefit on reproductive performance is moderate. Assisted reproductive technologies constitute a valid alternative. Endometriosis is associated with a 50% increase in the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer, but preventive interventions are feasible.

1,174 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The disease process is reviewed from theories regarding origin to the molecular basis for disease sequelae and a thorough understanding of the histopathogenesis and pathophysiology of endometriosis is essential to the development of novel diagnostic and treatment approaches for this debilitating condition.

1,066 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review focuses on recent advances in the use of alginate and its derivatives in the field of biomedical applications, including wound healing, cartilage repair, bone regeneration and drug delivery, which have potential in tissue regeneration applications.
Abstract: Alginate is a natural polysaccharide exhibiting excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, having many different applications in the field of biomedicine Alginate is readily processable for applicable three-dimensional scaffolding materials such as hydrogels, microspheres, microcapsules, sponges, foams and fibers Alginate-based biomaterials can be utilized as drug delivery systems and cell carriers for tissue engineering Alginate can be easily modified via chemical and physical reactions to obtain derivatives having various structures, properties, functions and applications Tuning the structure and properties such as biodegradability, mechanical strength, gelation property and cell affinity can be achieved through combination with other biomaterials, immobilization of specific ligands such as peptide and sugar molecules, and physical or chemical crosslinking This review focuses on recent advances in the use of alginate and its derivatives in the field of biomedical applications, including wound healing, cartilage repair, bone regeneration and drug delivery, which have potential in tissue regeneration applications

981 citations