Azoospermia and severe oligospermia in testicular cancer

OBJECTIVE of the study is a prospective evaluation of the severe oligospermic and azoospermic patients at the moment of testicular cancer diagnosis and following curative therapies.

Between January 2003 and December 2006 thirty-five testicular cancers were diagnosed at our institution. As soon as a testicular mass was diagnosed patients were requested to cryo-conserve a semen specimen before orchiectomy. Overall 20 patients adhered to our recommendation. The remaining 15 patients did not follow this recommendation only due to strictly personal and psychological reasons.

Ten patients presented severe oligospermia or azoospermia at the moment of testicular cancer diagnosis. Nine months following testicular tumour removal 9 recovered or improved their fertility passing form an azoospermia status to a mean 5.68 x 10(6) spermatozoa/ml. One patient remained azoospermic.

In 1999 Petersen stated that the presence of so many infertile patients at the time of testis tumoural diagnosis was linked with defined genetic alterations in the other testis. These alterations were linked with severe oligospermia or azoospermia. Our study evidences how a considerable percentage of azoospermic and oligospermic patients recover fertility following definite testicular cancer therapies even if these are potentially harmful for spermatogenesis.