Testicular Function in Patients with Testicular Cancer Treated with Bleomycin-Etoposide-Carboplatin (BEC 90) Combination Chemotherapy

• Published in: European urology Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. 187 - 193
• Main Authors: Pectasides, Dimitrios, Pectasides, Melina, Farmakis, Dimitrios, Nikolaou, Maria, Koumpou, Maria, Kostopoulou, Vassiliki, Mylonakis, Nikolaos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier B.V 01.02.2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Antineoplastic Agents - administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Bleomycin - administration & dosage; Carboplatin; Carboplatin - administration & dosage; Etoposide - administration & dosage; Fertility; Germinoma - blood; Germinoma - drug therapy; Germinoma - pathology; Germinoma - physiopathology; Gonadal toxicity; Hormones - blood; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Neoplasm Staging; Nephrology. Urinary tract diseases; Non-seminomatous germ cell tumors; Seminoma; Sperm Count; Testicular cancer; Testicular Neoplasms - blood; Testicular Neoplasms - drug therapy; Testicular Neoplasms - pathology; Testicular Neoplasms - physiopathology; Time Factors; Carboplatin; Seminoma; Gonadal toxicity; Fertility; Testicular cancer; Non-seminomatous germ cell tumors; Antineoplastic agent; Nephrology; Toxicity; Non seminomatous tumor; Urology; Germ cell tumor; Isomerases; Bleomycin; Glycopeptide; Male genital diseases; Antimitotic; Human; DNA topoisomerase (ATP-hydrolysing); Enzyme; Enzyme inhibitor; Etoposide; Malignant tumor; Male genital system; Podophyllotoxine derivatives; Antibiotic; Combined treatment; Testicular diseases; Testicle cancer
• ISSN: 0302-2838; 1873-7560
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2003.09.010

Objective: To investigate the impact of bleomycin-etoposide-carboplatin combination chemotherapy on long-term fertility in patients with testicular germ cell tumors. Methods: Twenty-five patients with high risk stage I and IM non-seminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCT, Group A) and 44 with advanced seminoma or NSGCT (Group B) were treated with bleomycin 30 mg (days 2, 9, 16), etoposide 165 mg/m 2 (days 1–3) and carboplatin 400 mg/m 2 or AUC 5 (day 1) (BEC 90). Treatment was repeated every 3 weeks. Group A patients received 2 cycles of BEC 90, while Group B ones received 4 to 5 cycles of BEC 90. Sperm count and hormonal analyses were examined pre- and post-chemotherapy. Counts were classified as normospermia (NS) if >20×10 6 ml −1, oligospermia (OS) if 1–20×10 6 ml −1 and azoospermia (AS) if <1×10 6 ml −1. Results: Patients were followed for a median of 2.9 years post-chemotherapy. The post-orchidectomy median luteinizing hormone (LH) serum levels were slightly above the upper normal limit while the serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone (T) were within the reference interval. Thirty-eight (55%) patients had NS pre-chemotherapy. None of the 14 NS patients who received 2 cycles of BEC 90 had AS post-chemotherapy, while only 1 of the 24 NS patients who were treated with ≥4 cycles of BEC 90 had AS post-treatment. Among the NS patients, 93% and 83%, respectively, remained NS following chemotherapy. Overall, 90% of patients had recovery (61% NS, 29% OS) of spermatogenesis after treatment. The median FSH serum values were significantly elevated at least 1-year post-chemotherapy when compared with the pre-treatment levels. Eighteen months post-chemotherapy the median FSH values had returned to the reference limits. Serum LH and T levels were unaffected by treatment. The pre-treatment sperm count and the bulk of disease were significantly associated with recovery of spermatogenesis. No association was found between recovery of spermatogenesis and 2 or ≥4 cycles of chemotherapy, age ≥30 years and post-chemotherapy lymph node dissection. Thirteen patients (4 with OS) fathered 16 children. No congenital abnormalities occurred in any of these children. Conclusion: The BEC 90 regimen has no major effect on fertility and Leydig cell function. However, carboplatin-based chemotherapy has been proved less effective than cisplatin-based chemotherapy and is not currently used in the treatment of testicular cancer.