Originally published November 7 2005
Fatherhood remains a possibility after testicular cancer
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Journal of the National Cancer Institute has released findings that show a high percentage of men who survived testicular cancer can conceive children.
Testicular cancer, the most common cancer among men ages 20 to 40, has a high cure rate: 95% of patients are cured through treatment.
Because many of these patients are diagnosed at an age when they are starting a family, the ability to father children after treatment is often a concern.
However, there are little reliable data on post-treatment fertility available to guide these men.
To assess post-treatment fertility among testicular cancer survivors, Marianne Bryd�y, M.D., of Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway, and colleagues studied 1,814 men who had been treated for testicular cancer in Norway between 1980 and 1994 who had been invited to participate in a follow-up survey between 1998 and 2002.
Of the 1,433 men who were assessable, post-treatment conception was attempted by 554, and 71% were successful within 15 years of treatment (without the use of cryopreserved semen) and 76% were successful within 20 years.
The median time from diagnosis to birth of the first child was 6.6 years, but this also varied with treatment type.
About 22% of couples who attempted post-treatment conception reported that they needed some form of assistance with reproduction.
"With recent advances in assisted fertility techniques, more testicular cancer survivors may be helped to father children.
However, because infertility cannot be predicted on an individual basis, it is important to continue the policy of offering sperm preservation prior to treatment," the authors write.
"Clearly the impact of therapy on fertility, as well as other long-term complications, for men with testicular cancer needs to be better categorized and understood," he writes.
Seriously addressing these public health issues for patients in the United States will require a national collaborative effort that identifies and collects, on an ongoing basis, longitudinal information on the health status of these men."
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml