Skip Navigation



Hum. Reprod. Advance Access published online on September 22, 2006
Human Reproduction, doi:10.1093/humrep/del167
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF ) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
21/11/2882    most recent
del167v1
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Gandini, L.
Right arrow Articles by Lenzi, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Gandini, L.
Right arrow Articles by Lenzi, A.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received December 27, 2005
Revised April 11, 2006
Accepted April 21, 2006

Article

Effect of chemo- or radiotherapy on sperm parameters of testicular cancer patients

Loredana Gandini 1 *, Paolo Sgrò 1, Francesco Lombardo 1, Donatella Paoli 1, Franco Culasso 2, Lucia Toselli 1, Petros Tsamatropoulos 1, and Andrea Lenzi 1

1 Laboratory of Seminology and Immunology of Human Reproduction, Policlinico ‘Umberto I’, University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, 00161 Rome, Italy
2 Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, Rome, Italy

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Loredana Gandini, E-mail: loredana.gandini{at}uniroma1.it


  Abstract

BACKGROUND: The aims of our study were to investigate the short- and long-term effects of chemo- or radiotherapy on spermatogenesis in patients with testicular cancer and to establish any correlation between pre-therapy sperm parameters, histotype and treatment type/intensity and the progress of spermatogenesis during the post-therapy period. METHODS: We evaluated 166 patients affected by testicular cancer, who cryobanked about 1 month after the removal of the cancerous testis and before beginning chemo- (CH group; n = 71) or radiotherapy (RT group; n = 95). RESULTS: For the CH group, there was a statistically significant decrease in sperm parameters, which was most significant 3 months after the end of chemotherapy. For the RT group, this decrease was most relevant 6 months after the end of radiotherapy. Two years after therapy, 3% of the CH group and 6% of the RT group remained azoosper-mic. To evaluate whether spermatogenesis recovery is a function of baseline semen quality, we divided each group into two subgroups by pre-therapy total sperm count (A, <40 x 106/ejaculate; B, ≥40 x 106/ejaculate). At t24, subgroup A of both the CH and RT groups showed improved sperm parameters over the baseline, whereas subgroup B for both CH and RT groups showed a return of sperm parameters to those of baseline values. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the recovery of spermatogenesis after chemo- or radiotherapy in our group of testicular cancer patients was not a function of pre-therapy sperm parameter quality. Cryopreservation of sperm before performing such therapy is therefore imperative.

Keywords: chemotherapy/radiotherapy/semen quality/testicular cancer.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J AndrolHome page
L. Marcon, B. F. Hales, and B. Robaire
Reversibility of the Effects of Subchronic Exposure to the Cancer Chemotherapeutics Bleomycin, Etoposide, and Cisplatin on Spermatogenesis, Fertility, and Progeny Outcome in the Male Rat
J Androl, July 1, 2008; 29(4): 408 - 417.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
C. O'Flaherty, F. Vaisheva, B.F. Hales, P. Chan, and B. Robaire
Characterization of sperm chromatin quality in testicular cancer and Hodgkin's lymphoma patients prior to chemotherapy
Hum. Reprod., May 1, 2008; 23(5): 1044 - 1052.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JAMAHome page
D. R. Feldman, G. J. Bosl, J. Sheinfeld, and R. J. Motzer
Medical Treatment of Advanced Testicular Cancer
JAMA, February 13, 2008; 299(6): 672 - 684.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.