Semen cryopreservation after orchidectomy in men with testicular cancer

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of semen cryopreservation after orchidectomy in patients with testicular tumour. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The quality of semen samples was investigated in 36 men with testicular tumour (mean age 31.7 years, range 20-49) who were referred to our infertility centre for semen cryopreservation. For each patient, the number of straws, semen volume, number of spermatozoa, and sperm motility before and after freezing were evaluated. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (42%) banked sperm before and 21 (58%) after orchidectomy; the delay was >7 days in 19 patients (53%). The mean age, histological diagnosis and tumour stage did not differ significantly whatever the time of cryopreservation. Semen quality did not differ significantly in patients who cryopreserved sperm before or after orchidectomy and there were no significant differences in sperm values whatever the delay before preservation. Semen quality was the same in patients with seminoma or nonseminoma tumour. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that spermatogenesis of the contralateral testis is sufficient for successful semen cryopreservation after orchidectomy. Urologists should be encouraged to increase the awareness among oncology teams and patients about the new developments in preserving fertility for patients with cancer.