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ABSTRACT With the increasing number of patients surviving cancer, there is increasing interest in long-term quality of life, especially with respect to cancer-related infertility. Although

infertility most commonly occurs as the result of treatment with gonadotoxic agents, it can also manifest before treatment has commenced. Current fertility preservation strategies for the

postpubertal male patient with cancer focus on sperm cryopreservation before therapy. Sperm acquisition techniques should be discussed with the patient as early as possible, by either an

oncologist or a specialist in male reproduction. For patients rendered infertile by cancer treatment who did not cryopreserve sperm beforehand, there are no techniques currently available to

restore fertility. For the prepubertal male patient, cryopreservation of sperm is impossible. However, emerging research—primarily in animal models—into promising fertility preservation and

restoration strategies might provide a clinical solution in the future. Advances in the protection and cryopreservation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) might translate into clinical

options for fertility preservation before treatment. Restoring fertility after treatment might also be possible via SSC autotransplantation or _in vitro_ maturation of SSCs. Before any of

these techniques become clinically viable, a number of scientific, logistical and ethical issues will need to be resolved. KEY POINTS * Infertility related to cancer is a major issue for

many cancer survivors and should be discussed as early as possible during treatment planning * Impairment of fertility related to cancer can manifest before, during or after treatment *

Existing fertility preservation strategies for men focus on acquiring sperm for cryopreservation before therapy; patients rendered infertile by cancer treatments who did not cryopreserve

sperm beforehand are unable to father a biological child * Promising advances in spermatogonial stem cell research might lead to future fertility preservation and restoration options for

male patients with cancer * A number of scientific, logistical and ethical barriers might need to be overcome before investigational fertility preservation strategies can be used clinically,

especially for prepubertal patients * Development of, and adherence to, clinical care pathways, education of oncological health-care providers and involvement of male reproductive

specialists should be included in the management of infertility in male patients with cancer Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content,

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RAPAMYCIN IMPROVES FERTILITY RESTORATION IN A MURINE ORTHOTOPIC TRANSPLANTATION MODEL Article Open access 19 March 2025 REFERENCES * Living beyond cancer: finding a new balance.

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Prostate and Urologic Cancers. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Surgery, Male Sexual and Reproductive Medicine Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center,

Urology Service, 1275 York Avenue, New York, 10065, NY, USA Darren J. Katz & John P. Mulhall * Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York,

10065, NY, USA Darren R. Feldman * The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia,

19104-4399, PA, USA Thomas F. Kolon Authors * Darren J. Katz View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Thomas F. Kolon View author publications

You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Darren R. Feldman View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * John P. Mulhall View

author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CONTRIBUTIONS All authors researched data for the article and contributed to the discussion of content. D. J.

Katz, T. F. Kolon and J. P. Mulhall wrote the article and reviewed the manuscript before submission. CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to John P. Mulhall. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING

INTERESTS The authors declare no competing financial interests. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Katz, D., Kolon, T., Feldman, D. _et al._

Fertility preservation strategies for male patients with cancer. _Nat Rev Urol_ 10, 463–472 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2013.145 Download citation * Published: 09 July 2013 *

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