Survival and infertility treatment in male cancer patients after sperm banking.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the relationship between sperm pathology and cancer diagnosis, determine the mortality rate, and evaluate the outcomes of the use of frozen sperm from the sperm bank.

DESIGN

Prospective study.

SETTING

University fertility center.

PATIENT(S): A total of 619 male patients were referred for sperm freezing before gonadotoxic therapy from 1995 to 2006.

INTERVENTION(S): Semen analysis, data verification in the National Oncologic Register, assisted reproduction technologies, and statistical evaluation.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Cancer diagnosis and sperm pathology analysis, survival of patients, and infertility treatment success.

RESULT(S): Malignant testicular cancer was diagnosed in 43.6% of patients, and malignant neoplasms of the lymphatic and hematopoietic tissues were found in 31.7% of patients. Azoospermia or severe oligospermia (<or=1 million/mL) was detected in 9.7% and 22.6% of patients, respectively. To date, 32 patients (5.2%) sought infertility treatment. Cryopreserved semen was used in 28 couples (87.5%), and 44 intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles resulted in 13 pregnancies. In total, 74 deaths (11.9%) were reported, 61 of them (82.4%) within 30 months of the cryopreservation of their sperm.

CONCLUSION(S): A significant number of patients survived. Intrauterine insemination and ICSI with cryopreserved sperm resulted in deliveries.