A Surgical Innovation for Cancer Survivors Seeking Pregnancy

An experimental surgical procedure is offering new hope to cancer survivors who desire to become parents. This innovative technique is specifically designed to assist individuals who have undergone treatment for colorectal cancers. The procedure involves temporarily moving reproductive organs out of the way to protect them from the harmful effects of radiation therapy. The ultimate goal is to enable a safe and healthy pregnancy in the future.

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are powerful tools in the fight against cancer, yet they carry the risk of damaging healthy tissue. For patients with cancers located in the pelvis, such as rectal or bowel cancer, these treatments can inflict severe harm on the uterus and ovaries. This damage frequently results in permanent infertility, a tragic outcome that can occur even if a person has successfully frozen their eggs prior to treatment. Radiation exposure can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterine lining. Furthermore, it can cause the uterine muscles to become stiff, rendering the uterus incapable of expanding properly to support a growing fetus during pregnancy.

To address this devastating problem, medical teams have developed a groundbreaking surgical procedure. The surgery involves the careful relocation of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries from their standard position within the pelvis. Surgeons meticulously stitch these vital organs to the abdominal wall, positioning them high in the upper abdomen beneath the ribs. This new location places the reproductive organs outside the primary radiation field used to treat pelvic cancers. Once the cancer treatment is complete, a second, less invasive surgery is performed to return the reproductive organs to their original position in the pelvis.

The procedure was first conceptualized by Dr. Reitan Ribeiro, a gynecologic oncologist based in Brazil. His initial case report, published in 2017, documented the treatment of a 26-year-old patient who had a rectal tumor. Dr. Daniela Huber, a gynecologic oncologist at Sion Hospital in Switzerland, encountered this work and recognized its potential for one of her own patients.