Cancer drugs 'prompt ovaries to produce eggs'

A drug used to treat cancer could help infertile women produce more eggs.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh found that the drugs seemed to turn back the biological clock.

The team analysed ovarian tissue from 11 women undergoing chemotherapy.

Eight had Hodgkin lymphoma and were receiving the drug combination ABVD.

Within these women they found up to 10 times more eggs, and their ovaries looked like those of a pre-pubescent girl.

Although the sample of women involved was small, the scientists think there could be big implications.

Lead researcher Professor Evelyn Telfer said: "We were very surprised by the results. When we started we were looking at the effects of chemotherapy on the structure of the ovary.

"We expected to find fewer eggs or maybe the same number, so when we found there were more eggs we were really astonished."

It is not known whether the new eggs can mature or develop normally, but if they do, some fertility doctors say it is potentially very significant.

Associate Professor Tim Child, from the University of Oxford, said: "I think it's very exciting.

"We've always thought that chemotherapy only damages ovaries - or perhaps some types can leave the ovaries undamaged - but this suggests that drugs can actually increase the numbers of eggs."

The research team are now hoping to understand the mechanism behind their findings.

They will be looking at the individual drugs which make up ABVD, to better understand what has been happening and how the drugs work.

This could help them learn more about women's fertility and how they might be able to produce more eggs.

It was previously thought that women were born with a finite number of eggs, but this might not now be true if it is shown drugs can trigger more to be produced.

Professor Telfer admits it is early days and is reluctant to make big claims for fear of offering false hope.

"We wouldn't rush to overstate the significance, but it is a starting point," she said.

"The more we understand about the working of the ovary, the better placed we are to treat infertility."