An Assessment of Cryopreserved Semen and Testicular Tissue Collected Before and After Cancer Treatment Initiation

Purpose: This retrospective cohort study assessed semen and testicular tissue quality from adult and adolescent cancer patients who had samples cryopreserved in the Cryobank of Charité-Universitätsmedizin before and/or after cancer treatment.

Methods and materials: Medical and cryopreservation data for all samples stored between 03/2004 and 05/2019 were collected retrospectively.

Results: We included information on 601 samples cryopreserved from 506 cancer patients for whom oncologic treatment data were available. The majority of the samples were cryopreserved prior to cancer treatment (460/600, 77%, median 5 days before treatment). Semen quality had a predisposed reduction in those collected from adolescents with testicular and/or hematological malignancies. Analyses of the 140 (23%) samples cryopreserved after treatment initiation (median of 84 days) revealed decreased median concentration and motility following high gonadotoxic-risk treatment. Rate of oligoasthenozoospermia was comparable in samples collected prior to treatment with those provided during follow-up spermiograms within 1 year after treatment initiation (45.5% vs 45.5%). However, an increase was seen in samples collected 1-2 (9.1% to 90.9%) and 2-3 (50.0% to 100.0%) years after treatment initiation.

Conclusion: Cancer diagnosis and treatment may impair spermatogenesis; therefore, patient counseling prior to cancer treatment by an oncologist and/or fertility specialist is crucial.