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Preserving Fertility in Adolescents

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Pediatric and Adolescent Andrology

Part of the book series: Trends in Andrology and Sexual Medicine ((TASM))

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Abstract

Significant progress has been made in the treatment of paediatric tumours in recent decades. A growing number of male survivors may be infertile due to the high sensitivity of testicular cells, especially germ cells, to cytotoxic agents and radiotherapy. The impact of antineoplastic therapies on fertility must thus be borne in mind by both doctors and the patients and their parents. Semen cryopreservation prior to treatment enables patients who have reached puberty to access assisted reproduction techniques at a later date, if desired. For prepubertal children, the only available method is the cryopreservation of testicular tissue, which is still experimental in this age group. The management of fertility in infancy and adolescence is problematic and often neglected, especially in the presence of acute diseases which threaten the young patient’s survival. A thorough awareness of these problems would help paediatric oncologists and endocrinologists to inform and advise their patients about resources that could preserve their chances of future fatherhood.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Marie-Hélène Hayles for the English translation of the manuscript.

Funding

This study was funded by a grant from the Italian Ministry of Education and Research (MIUR-PRIN 2017-2017S9KTNE_003) and the University of Rome “Sapienza” Faculty of Medicine.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Seminology—Sperm Bank “Loredana Gandini”, Department of Experimental Medicine, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Marco Marasco, Francesco Pallotti, Marianna Pelloni, Andrea Lenzi & Donatella Paoli

  2. Department of Experimental Medicine, Laboratory of Seminology - Sperm Bank “Loredana Gandini”, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

    Francesco Lombardo

  3. Section of Andrology and Reproductive Medicine & Centre for Male Gamete Cryopreservation, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

    Andrea Garolla

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  1. Marco Marasco
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  2. Francesco Pallotti
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  3. Marianna Pelloni
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  4. Andrea Garolla
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  5. Andrea Lenzi
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  6. Francesco Lombardo
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  7. Donatella Paoli
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Correspondence to Donatella Paoli .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Unit of Andrology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Padua, Padova, Italy

    Carlo Foresta

  2. Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Pathophysiology, Food Science and Endocrinology, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy

    Daniele Gianfrilli

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Marasco, M. et al. (2021). Preserving Fertility in Adolescents. In: Foresta, C., Gianfrilli, D. (eds) Pediatric and Adolescent Andrology. Trends in Andrology and Sexual Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80015-4_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80015-4_15

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