title: Regeneration of spermatogenesis after testicular cancer chemotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Azoospermia is a common side effect of chemotherapy. Although most patients restore spermatogenesis over time, the exact time course has not been well described. We analyzed the recovery of spermatogenesis in testicular cancer patients following chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  49 patients, consisting of 45 treated with a bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin (BEP) regimen and 4 with high-dose chemotherapy, were followed up with occasional semen analyses. The primary endpoint of this study was the confirmation of motile spermatozoa in the patients' semen.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 45 patients treated with BEP, 44 recovered spermatogenesis. The recovery of spermatogenesis was delayed depending on the increase in BEP cycles. In groups of patients who received 1-2, 3 and 4 cycles, the recovery rates of spermatogenesis within 2 year were 83.3, 80.0 and 66.7%, respectively. In the group with 5-6 cycles of BEP, re-spermatogenesis was significantly delayed and no patients re-established spermatogenesis within 2 years. The patients' age and semen parameters before chemotherapy were not useful as predictive factors for the recovery of spermatogenesis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The recovery of spermatogenesis was rather fast and was often observed as early as several months after BEP treatment when the number of cycles was <4.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yumura
authors.forename: Takehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Yuzo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.forename: Kazumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Noguchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D053713:Azoospermia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015925:Cryopreservation; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000188:drug therapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012661:Semen / Q000187:drug effects; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001761:Bleomycin; D005047:Etoposide; D002945:Cisplatin