[Protection of male fertility during anticancer treatment: animal experiments]

One of the best known iatrogenic effects of anticancer treatments is the sterility of young patients with a good prognosis, hence the necessity to develop a protocol enabling us to preserve male reproductive function. This review of the literature summarises the various approaches investigated in order to obtain protection of spermatogenesis prior to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Most of these pathways involve hormone therapy based on regulation of the hypothalamo-hypophyso-testicular axis. Animal models are generally used in these experiments. The various applications in man are described and discussed.