[Long-term course of blood lipids and body mass index in patients with testicular cancer treated with chemotherapy].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether males with testicular cancer treated with chemotherapy including cisplatin (Qt-C) develop an increase in serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels and in the body mass index (BMI), which might pose a cardiovascular risk.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Fifty-six male patients with the previous diagnosis of testicular carcinoma, and apparently cured now, were studied. Thirty-six were Qt-C treated. The median age was 28 years and the median follow-up 81 months. The other 20 patients, with testicular cancer stage I and who did not require Qt-C, did not differ in mean age nor in the median of follow-up. Twenty healthy males were also studied, and their cholesterol and triglyceride levels and BMI were compared with those in patients treated with Qt-C at the end of follow-up; both group were of similar age. In all patients (prior to diagnosis and yearly up to the end of the study) and in healthy subjects total serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels were measured, as well as BMI (weight/height2).

RESULTS

Levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and BMI were not different at diagnosis of testicular cancer, both in patients treated with Qt-C and those not receiving such therapy. When comparing yearly cholesterol and triglyceride levels in both groups of patients during the first 6 years of evolution, no significant differences were observed. Again, no differences were observed between patients treated and not treated with Qt-C at the end of the follow-up period regarding cholesterol (211 +/- 41 vs 219 +/- 44 mg/dl; p = 0.51), triglyceride (128 +/- 57 vs 129 +/- 51 mg/dl; p = 0.94) and BMI (25.7 +/- 3.3 vs 25.5 +/- 3.4 kg/m2; p = 0.86) values. No significant differences were observed in the three parameters between parameters in patients treated with Qt-C at the end of follow-up and in healthy males.

CONCLUSIONS

In males with testicular cancer treated with Qt-C, no long term increase in cholesterol, triglyceride, and BMI values was detected, which might predispose to the development of cardiovascular diseases.