Abstract
Testicular cancer (TC) is the most curable type of cancer, with a survival rate of more than 95%. Oncologists are faced with the challenge that gonadotoxic cancer treatments can compromise future fertility, either temporarily or permanently. Our aim was to investigate the long-term effects of TC treatments on male fertility and on the offspring of patients who had received these treatments. Between January 1996 and December 2010, 125 eligible patients, ranging from 18 to 54 years (median age 36.3 ± 15.7), with unilateral TC underwent surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy at our center. Some of these patients had their semen samples cryopreserved in the Shanghai Human Sperm Bank. The clinical data were evaluated, and questionnaire and telephone follow-up surveys were given to all patients. The data were analyzed to determine the patients' fertility status pre- and posttreatment. Of the 125 eligible patients, 93.6% (117/125) were accessible and were evaluated. Among 81 men who were married before diagnosis, 21 had conceived successfully before diagnosis and six reported azoospermia. Posttreatment conception was attempted by 73 men; of these, 16 conceived naturally and 19 conceived by artificial reproductive techniques, resulting in 37 healthy babies with no congenital malformations. Of the patients who had not conceived before treatment, 21.9% (21/96) banked their sperm and 23.8% of these patients (5/21) subsequently used the banked sperm. Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, chemotherapy and radiotherapy were the most highly correlated with lack of conception post-TC treatment. Sperm banking should be recommended to TC patients with the desire for biological conception. There is no evidence to suggest that TC treatments are associated with birth defects or childhood malignancies.