Information is scarce regarding the outcome of oocyte donation (OD) in patients with a history of cancer treatment. Therefore, we conducted a matched controlled analysis on the outcome of OD in these recipients.

Between January 2000 and November 2005, 33 patients with a history of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy had an OD cycle. Matching was performed to the chronologically closest patient without a history of cancer therapy by number of days of hormonal stimulation before embryo replacement, number of replaced embryos, day of embryo transfer and origin of sperm.

The primary diseases of the patients were Hodgkin’s lymphoma (n = 12), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (n = 3), leukaemia (n = 7), ovarian cancer (n = 6), Ewing’s sarcoma (n = 2), breast cancer (n = 1), sympathoblastoma (n = 1) and histiocytosis X (n = 1). Twenty-three patients had undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy, nine patients chemotherapy only and one radiotherapy only. The mean age of the recipients was 33.1 years [95% confidence interval (CI) 30.9–35.3] and 39.6 (95% CI 37.1–42.1) in the study and control groups, respectively. The average number of received oocytes and transferred embryos, was similar in both groups. Nineteen (57.6%) versus 13 (39.4%) pregnancies resulting in an ongoing pregnancy (i.e. viable at 12 weeks) in 15 (45.4%) versus 9 cycles (27.3%) (NS) were obtained in study and control groups, respectively. Implantation rate in study and control groups was 35.8 versus 17.9%, respectively (P = 0.02).

The results suggest that patients with a history of cancer treatment have a pregnancy rate after OD similar to that in the general population of oocyte recipients.