changes in sperm after chemotherapy

Changes in sperm persist four years later. File photo.EUROPE PRESS

The scientific literature has shown that after 4 years of cancer treatment, sperm usually return to their pre-treatment characteristics. But until now, there has been little human data on how these Medicines can affect the sperm epigenome. And this series of chemical compounds that bind to DNA (the genome) have the ability to modify your genes, activating or suppressing their expression.

This is explained by the study “Changes in the DNA methylome of spermatozoa in testicular cancer patients after chemotherapy”, presented at the 40th ESHRE Congress in Amsterdam, which analyses consequences of chemotherapy treatment usually indicated for Testicular cancer.

Research results

It’s about the largest study conducted to date in testicular cancer survivors. To ensure comparability of the study, all samples studied were frozen. Both those performed before cancer treatment and those performed after overcoming the disease, since cryopreservation can alter the epigenetics of the sperm sample.

“We knew that cancer treatments in general and chemotherapy in particular could cause damage to sperm DNA integrity and aneuploidy, but after a few years, this damage was repaired. With this new study, we saw that sperm epigenetics also changes after testicular cancer, but this These modifications continue to appear four years later.” explains Marga Esbert, biologist and research coordinator at IVI Barcelona.

“The results were clear: after the extraction of sperm DNA, a functional enrichment analysis was performed 65 regions of affected genes were identified “differentially methylated,” Esbert says.

Being a father after testicular cancer

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Testicular cancer has a low incidence (1%) and a high cure rate of about 95%. It is logical that one of the biggest problems for patients is the possibility of becoming parents after the cancer has passedFor all these reasons, specialists always recommend good advice in collaboration with an oncologist to ensure that the seed genetic information remains intact after chemotherapy.

“This step is very important because the age range of this type Cancer includes practically peak fertile agebelonging from 20 to 34 years old“Informing the patient at the oncology consultation at the time of diagnosis is the key to being able to preserve intact genetic material after the entire process of cancer treatment prescribed by the specialist,” the doctor concludes.

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