Why is Fertility at Risk from Treatment?

• As you may have learned already, the cytotoxicity of chemotherapy is not limited to the cancer cells, many other cells in the body are also effected, some of these cell types include hair, mucosal membranes, and germ cells (eggs and sperm producing cells)
• Germ cell toxicity can be broken down by general chemo class
  • Definitely cause infertility
  • Likely to Cause infertility
  • Not likely to cause infertility
• Radiation Treatment
  • Fertility Risk
    • Typically, decreased fertility or infertility is temporary in men when only radiation treatment is used, however, every case is different, discuss with your physician(s).
    • Infertility risk in females is less understood, however direct exposure of the ovaries to high amounts of radiation has been shown to cause long term fertility loss.
• Should I be concerned with possible DNA damage?
  • Although chemotherapy and ionizing radiation cause significant DNA injury, the potential for transmitting genomic defects to offspring is remote.
  • No significant increase in major or minor genetic defects has been observed in the offspring of parents who have had cancer or undergone cancer therapy.
  • Abnormalities in sperm DNA prevent the introduction of damaged DNA into the oocyte. It is reasonable to recommend, however, that men delay attempting to father children for 6 months after completing chemotherapy or radiation therapy, to allow regeneration of developing spermatozoa.

Cancer and Male Factor Infertility, Constabile, RA, Spevak, M, Oncology, Vol 12, No 4 (April 1998)