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Ramirez-Fort MK, Kardoust-Parizi M, Flannigan R, Bach P, Koch N, Gilman C, Suarez P, Fort DV, McClelland S, Lange CS, Mulhall JP, Fort M, Schlegel PN. Preservation of male fertility in patients undergoing pelvic irradiation. Rep Pract Oncol Radiother 2024; 28:835-845. [PMID: 38515820 PMCID: PMC10954274 DOI: 10.5603/rpor.98731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
As the number of cancer survivors increases, so does the demand for preserving male fertility after radiation. It is important for healthcare providers to understand the pathophysiology of radiation-induced testicular injury, the techniques of fertility preservation both before and during radiation, and their role in counseling patients on the risks to their fertility and the means of mitigating these risks. Impaired spermatogenesis is a known testicular toxicity of radiation in both the acute and the late settings, as rapidly dividing spermatogonial germ cells are exquisitely sensitive to irradiation. The threshold for spermatogonial injury and subsequent impairment in spermatogenesis is ~ 0.1 Gy and the severity of gonadal injury is highly dose-dependent. Total doses < 4 Gy may allow for recovery of spermatogenesis and fertility potential, but with larger doses, recovery may be protracted or impossible. All patients undergoing gonadotoxic radiation therapy should be counseled on the possibility of future infertility, offered the opportunity for semen cryopreservation, and offered referral to a fertility specialist. In addition to this, every effort should be made to shield the testes (if not expected to contain tumor) during therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marigdalia K. Ramirez-Fort
- Life Sciences & BioDefense, BioFort Corp, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, United States
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Mehdi Kardoust-Parizi
- Department of Urology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Urology, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ryan Flannigan
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Phil Bach
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Nicholas Koch
- Department of Medical Physics, CONE Health, Greensboro, NC, United States
| | - Casey Gilman
- Life Sciences & BioDefense, BioFort Corp, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Paula Suarez
- Life Sciences & BioDefense, BioFort Corp, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Digna V. Fort
- Life Sciences & BioDefense, BioFort Corp, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, United States
| | - Shearwood McClelland
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
| | - Christopher S. Lange
- Life Sciences & BioDefense, BioFort Corp, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, United States
- Department of Radiation Oncology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, United States
| | - John P. Mulhall
- Department of Sexual and Reproductive Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Migdalia Fort
- Life Sciences & BioDefense, BioFort Corp, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, United States
| | - Peter N. Schlegel
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
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