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. 2024 Jun;13(11):e7354.
doi: 10.1002/cam4.7354.

Fertility preservation in male adolescents with cancer (2011-2020): A retrospective study in China

Shasha Liu  1 , Qiling Wang  2 , Wenbing Zhu  3 , Zhou Zhang  4 , Wenhao Tang  5 , Huiqiang Sheng  6 , Jigao Yang  7 , Yushan Li  8 , Xiaowei Liang  9 , Tianqing Meng  10 , Zhiqiang Wang  11 , Faxi Lin  12 , Hao Dong  13 , Xiaojin He  14 , Xianglong Jiang  15 , Shanjun Dai  16 , Aiping Zhang  17 , Chunying Song  18 , Zuowen Liang  19 , Feng Zhang  20 , Xiaojun Wang  21 , Peiyu Liang  22 , Guihua Gong  23 , Xiaohong Huai  24 , Yanyun Wang  25 , Fuping Li  1 , Xinzong Zhang  2
Affiliations

Fertility preservation in male adolescents with cancer (2011-2020): A retrospective study in China

Shasha Liu et al. Cancer Med. 2024 Jun.

Abstract

Background: According to the studies, more than 80% of pediatric patients with cancer can achieve a survival rate greater than 5 years; however, long-term chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy may seriously affect their reproductive ability. Fertility preservation in adolescents with cancer in China was initiated late, and related research is lacking. Analyze data to understand the current situation and implement measures to improve current practices.

Methods: From 2011 to 2020, data on 275 male adolescents with cancer whose age ranged from 0 to 19 years old were collected from 16 human sperm banks for this retrospective study. Methods include comparing the basic situation of male adolescents with cancer, the distribution of cancer types, and semen quality to analyze the status of fertility preservation.

Results: The mean age was 17.39 ± 1.46 years, with 13 cases (4.7%) aged 13-14 years and 262 cases (95.3%) aged 15-19 years. Basic diagnoses included leukemia (55 patients), lymphomas (76), germ cell and gonadal tumors (65), epithelial tumors (37), soft tissue sarcomas (14), osteosarcoma (7), brain tumors (5), and other cancers (16). There are differences in tumor types in different age stages and regions. The tumor type often affects semen quality, while age affects semen volume. Significant differences were found in sperm concentration and progressive motility before and after treatment (p < 0.001). Moreover, 90.5% of patients had sperm in their semen and sperm were frozen successfully in 244 patients (88.7%).

Conclusions: The aim of this study is to raise awareness of fertility preservation in male adolescents with cancer, to advocate for fertility preservation prior to gonadotoxic therapy or other procedures that may impair future fertility, and to improve the fertility status of future patients.

Keywords: cancer; cryopreservation; fertility preservation; male adolescents; semen quality.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Number of patients with (A) the two age groups (13–14, 15–19 years old), (B) the three most common cancer types (leukemia, lymphoma, and germ cell and gonadal tumors) undergoing sperm cryopreservation from 2011 to 2020.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
(A) Proportional distribution of cancer type by age group. (B) Proportion of patients with the listed cancer types undergoing sperm cryopreservation in eastern and western China.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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