RECOVERY OF SPERMATOGENESIS IN PATIENTS WITH LYMPHOMA AFTER TREATMENT WITH CHLORAMBUCIL

Abstract

Several publications have pointed out the deleterious action exerted by cytostatic drugs on human spermatogenesis (Heller, Flegeolli & Watson, 1963; Richter, Calamera, Morgenfeld, Kierszenbaum, Lavieri & Mancini, 1970; Fairley, Barrié & Johnson, 1972). As many of the patients who receive cytostatic drugs often have a normal life expectancy, it was considered of interest to study the reappearance of spermatogenesis during variable periods of time after withdrawal of treatment. Van Thiel, Sherins, Myers & De Vita (1972) pointed out that in a group of such men in remission for 1 to 5 years after treatment with different drugs, persistent azoospermia was present in five out of seven of the treated individuals. This report concerns observations on a group of five patients with lymphoma who recovered spermatogenesis either partially or totally after treatment with Chlorambucil was suspended. The average age of the patients was 26 years. The daily dose of Chlorambucil was