Review and follow-up of patients using a regional sperm cryopreservation service: ensuring that resources are targeted to those patients most in need

Abstract

Are all patients undergoing chemotherapy for long-term sperm banking at risk of permanent sterility? Male fertility is generally lower in men with cancer and all patient groups are at risk of azoospermia. Careful management is required to ensure that samples are not stored for excessively long periods should they not be required. A retrospective analysis of 1688 patient records and prospective recall of patients for semen testing were performed. Pre-therapy fertility was compared with a group of pre-vasectomy patients as a comparator. Those who fail to bank spermatozoa, rates of disposal of samples and the utilization in assisted reproduction were also examined. Sperm quality was poorest in testicular cancer (TC) patients followed by those with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) prior to treatment. Post-therapy data were available in 376 patients (42%). Sperm number was lowest (and azoospermia highest at 77%) in patients with HL treated with regimens other than adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine (ABVD). Non-HL NHL and leukaemic patients had similarly high rates of azoospermia at 46 and 55%. HL patients treated with ABVD (11%) and TC patients (9.7%) had the lowest rates of azoospermia. Azoospermia was seen in every treatment group except for TC patients receiving carboplatin. Only 45 patients used their samples in ART (4.5%) in 10 years. Little is known about the fertility status of the patients not coming forward for follow-up testing, those conceiving naturally, those with no intention of conceiving and some which may have psychological reasons for not attending. In conclusion, virtually all patients undergoing chemotherapy are potentially at risk of temporary or permanent infertility. However, as uptake and utilization of stored material remain low, sperm banks should be carefully managed to ensure that resources are targeted to the patients most in need.

Keywords: azoospermia; chemotherapy; cryopreservation; sperm quality parameters; spermatogenesis.