Abstract

BACKGROUND: Fertility preservation is very important for male cancer patients, especially adolescents. Unfortunately, the use of fertility preservation is very low among Chinese male cancer patients. Additionally, the cumulative rate of frozen sperm use is also low.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective study by collecting available information at the Human Sperm Bank, National Research Institute for Family Planning from July 2006 to December 2017 to examine the data in China.

RESULTS: A total 145 male cancer patients underwent sperm cryopreservation. The patients were 29.3±6.9 years old, and 6.2% (9 out of 145) of the patients were adolescents under the age of 18 years old. As of June 2018, only 9.7% (14 out of 145) of patients returned to use their cryopreserved sperm for assisted reproduction technology (ART). Of the 33 ART cycles, conceptions were achieved in 51.5% (17 out of 33), and the rate of patients who had a baby was 71.4% (10 out of 14). The data indicate men with testicular cancer or leukemia had lower total sperm counts and recovery rate of progressive sperm than did men with other types of cancer, while men with sarcoma had the lowest progressive sperm.

CONCLUSIONS: The physician should make an effort to promote fertility preservation for male cancer patients in China. And patients with testicular cancer and leukemia require additional attention.

Keywords: Cryopreservation, fertility preservation, Infertility, Male, Reproductive Techniques, Assisted, Adolescent, Beijing, Neoplasms, Retrospective Studies, Spermatozoa, young adult