Clinics propose freezing eggs of cancer patients

A group of about 130 private clinics has asked for permission to conduct clinical research in which the eggs of cancer-stricken single women, who may become infertile through treatment, are frozen to give them a chance to have children later in life, according to sources.

The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, to which the request has been filed, had not reached a conclusion on the matter by Thursday and will debate the issue again next month, they said.

The request was filed by the Japan chapter of the group named A-Part (International Association of Private Assisted Reproductive Technology), which is led by Takafumi Utsunomiya, who heads St. Luke Clinic in Oita Prefecture.

According to the application, the research plans to cover women age 15 or older who are suffering from various types of blood cancer, including leukemia and malignant lymphoma.

The study aims to find out whether eggs can be safely collected, and what steps will be required before the women give birth. It also plans to study the health of the children born through such a process.

The research calls for collecting eggs at facilities in Hokkaido, Miyagi, Tokyo, Ishikawa, Aichi, Osaka, Tottori, Ehime and Oita prefectures.

Clinics in Japan have so far frozen eggs as part of the infertility treatment on the condition that the women have husbands. There has been an increasing demand for the procedure among women whose reproductive functions may be affected by radiation, cancer drugs and other forms of treatment.