Autologous Semen Storage Statistics and Seminal Parameters in Cancer Patients

Abstract

Design: A retrospective and prospective study of brothers who were treated for infertility at 2 institutions, during the years 1975 to 1999.Materials and Methods: Thirty-three brothers with infertility from 14 families were identified. Twenty-eight had been treated for infertility, 5 were unmarried, but revealed a low sperm count. All the patients were evaluated by repeated semen analysis, gonadotropins, testosterone, prolactin, testicular biopsy in azoospermics and severe oligospermics chromosomal analysis and genetic study of Y-deletions, in 3 families.Results: Eight families with 17 brothers revealed the same semen analysis of azo-or oligospermia (51%). The other 6 families had brothers with a mixed picture of azoospermia and oligospermia. Brothers who underwent a testicular biopsy revealed different types of histology, except in 2 families with azoospermias. Studies of Y chromosome deletions in 3 families showed 2 brothers with an AZF c deletion in one family. FSH levels were similar among 15 brothers of 7 families (45%) and different among the rest. Nine brothers were diagnosed of having a severe left varicocele (27%) and 6 had an orchidopexy (18%). No brother of 7 Kleinefelter patients had male infertility. There were no brothers with infertility among 7 patients with Kleinefelter's syndrome.Conclusions: The occurrence of male infertility among brothers is of clinical importance. The patterns seen were either of an identical pathology or of a mixed form, suggesting etiologies as genetic, congenital, vascular, acquired, etc., presented in a familial form.