Individual and seminal characteristics of patients with testicular germ cell tumors.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the characteristics of patients with testicular germ cell cancer and compare patients' sperm quality according to histologic type (seminomatous and nonseminomatous tumors).


METHODS
Prospective study.


METHODS
Sperm bank at a university.


METHODS
One hundred consecutive patients with testicular tumor who had been referred to our infertility center for cryopreservation, between 2004 and 2006.


METHODS
A questionnaire, through personal interview, was given to all patients and collection of seminal data before cryopreservation was performed.


METHODS
Patient characteristics, including age, time between diagnosis and orchiectomy, history of cryptorchidism, histologic type, and seminal analysis were taken into consideration.


RESULTS
The mean age of the patients at the time of diagnosis was 26.9 years. The mean time between cancer suspicion and the diagnosis of neoplasm was 58.9 days, and 19.4 more days were necessary until orchiectomy was performed. Eleven patients had a history of cryptorchidism. Thirty-seven patients had seminomatous tumors. Men with a seminoma present a higher number of motile and morphologically normal sperm in the ejaculate than men with a nonseminoma, although individual semen variables are not different.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of the patients with testicular cancer, referred to our infertility center, are very young, single, do not have children, and are unaware of their fertility potential status by the time diagnosis is made. Men with a nonseminoma present semen of lower quality.
Fraietta
Renato
R
Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Sao Paulo Federal University, Sao Paulo, Brazil. renatofraietta@yahoo.com.br
Spaine
Deborah Montagnini
DM
Bertolla
Ricardo Pimenta
RP
Ortiz
Valdemar
V
Cedenho
Agnaldo Pereira
AP
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012661:Semen / Q000502:physiology*; D055101:Semen Analysis; D018239:Seminoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult