Human Reproduction, Vol. 17, No. 12, 3157-3161,
December 2002
© 2002 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Semen quality and cryopreservation in adolescent cancer patients
1 Royal Free and University College Medical School, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Fertility and Reproductive Medicine Laboratories, UCL/University College Hospitals Trust, Rosenheim Building, 25 Grafton Way, London WC1E 6DB, 2 Department of Medicine, University Street, London WC1E 6AU and 3 Institute of Urology St Peters and Middlesex Hospital, London W1N 8AA, UK
BACKGROUND: Adult cancer patients are routinely offered pre-treatment sperm cryopreservation. However, only recently has the welfare of adolescent cancer sufferers gained momentum, including their infertility, and unsurprisingly relatively little is known about their semen quality and feasibility of cryopreservation. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 238 adolescent cancer patients referred to our centre between 1991 and 2000, from post-pubertal age up to 19 years 11.9 months, were included. Their semen was processed after appropriate counselling. Semen cryopreservation was possible in 205 of the initial 238 patients referred (86.1%). The pathology of the cancer cases included Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), testicular, leukaemia, and others. The mean sperm counts were broadly uniform across the disease and age groups, except for the AML group. There was no cancer group analysed in which sperm could not be stored. Semen volume was broadly uniform across the disease groups, except the ALL and Ewing's sarcoma groups, which showed relatively lower and higher mean semen volumes respectively. Older adolescent patients appeared to have a higher mean semen volume. CONCLUSIONS: Semen cryopreservation was possible in most adolescent cancer cases regardless of age or diagnosis. In all cases the quality of the semen was potentially useful for assisted conception procedures. An offer to freeze sperm in all patients aged >12 years should be made. Adequate support and counselling of both the boys and their parents is essential.
Key words: adolescent/cancer/cryopreservation/semen/sperm
4 To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: g.bahadur{at}ucl.ac.uk
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