Fertility in Young Adults Who Did (Not) Store Testicular Tissue Before a Treatment Leading to Fertility Problems

NCT ID: NCT04202094

Last Updated: 2025-04-01

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

50 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2020-09-08

Study Completion Date

2030-12-31

Brief Summary

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The goal of this prospective comparative interventional cohort study is to assess the fertility status of young adult men (≥18 years) who received gonadotoxic treatment during childhood for the treatment of cancer or hematological disorders. These treatment protocols are highly gonadotoxic (i.e. they may cause later fertility problems) and therefore these patients have been proposed to store some testicular tissue during childhood as an option to preserve their fertility.

The main questions this study aims to answer are (1) the impact of the received gonadotoxic treatment on the later fertility status and (2) the additional impact of a testicular biopsy procedure (performed at a young age to harvest testicular tissue for storage) on the future fertility.

Participants will be asked to undergo a physical examination by a fertility specialist, to undergo a scrotal ultrasound, to give a blood sample, and to provide a semen sample.

Researchers will compare the patients fertility status between the different received gonadotoxic treatment protocols, between patients who underwent a testicular biopsy procedure at a young age and those who did not, and compare the patients fertility status with the reproductive health of spontaneously conceived young adults.

Detailed Description

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See the subsequent protocol sections.

Conditions

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Childhood Cancer Hematological Disorders

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

FACTORIAL

This study is a prospective comparative interventional cohort study.

The fertility status of young adults (≥18 years) cured of childhood cancer or hematological disorders for which they received high-risk gonadotoxic treatment (with an ≥80% risk of later fertility problems) during childhood will be compared between patients who did and those who did not undergo a testicular tissue biopsy procedure at a young age as a fertility preservation strategy in order to identify a possible association between the biopsy procedure (which is performed to harvest testicular tissue) and the later fertility outcome.

Their fertility status will also be compared to the reproductive health of spontaneously conceived young adults that has already been published (Belva F et al., 2016/2017/2019).
Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Biopsy group

Young adult men (≥18 years) cured of childhood cancer or hematological disorders for which they received high-risk gonadotoxic treatment during childhood and who have chosen to undergo a testicular biopsy procedure at a young age as a fertility preservation strategy.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Physical examination

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

A physical examination to measure the patients' weight, height, body mass index, blood pressure and testicular volume using a Prader orchidometer and to determine the patients' Tanner stage (secondary sexual development).

Scrotum ultrasound

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

A scrotum ultrasound to measure the patients' testicular volume and to investigate potential abnormalities in the testicular parenchyma.

Blood sample

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

A morning blood sample to evaluate the serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), inhibin B (INHB), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), prolactin (PRL), cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Upon approval by the patient himself, a spare blood sample will be collected and retained for 5 years for subsequent research purposes limited to the context of the present study.

Semen analysis

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

A semen analysis to evaluate ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, sperm motility, and sperm morphology. If sperm is found in the semen sample, an anti-sperm antibody test and a sperm DNA fragmentation test will be performed. Upon approval by the patient himself, the surplus of the semen sample will be retained for 5 years for subsequent research purposes limited to the context of the present study.

No biopsy group

Young adult men (≥18 years) cured of childhood cancer or hematological disorders for which they received high-risk gonadotoxic treatment during childhood and who have refused to undergo a testicular biopsy procedure at a young age as a fertility preservation strategy.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Physical examination

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

A physical examination to measure the patients' weight, height, body mass index, blood pressure and testicular volume using a Prader orchidometer and to determine the patients' Tanner stage (secondary sexual development).

Scrotum ultrasound

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

A scrotum ultrasound to measure the patients' testicular volume and to investigate potential abnormalities in the testicular parenchyma.

Blood sample

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

A morning blood sample to evaluate the serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), inhibin B (INHB), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), prolactin (PRL), cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Upon approval by the patient himself, a spare blood sample will be collected and retained for 5 years for subsequent research purposes limited to the context of the present study.

Semen analysis

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

A semen analysis to evaluate ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, sperm motility, and sperm morphology. If sperm is found in the semen sample, an anti-sperm antibody test and a sperm DNA fragmentation test will be performed. Upon approval by the patient himself, the surplus of the semen sample will be retained for 5 years for subsequent research purposes limited to the context of the present study.

Control group

Spontaneously conceived young adults whose data on reproductive health have already been published (Belva F et al., 2016/2017/2019).

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Physical examination

A physical examination to measure the patients' weight, height, body mass index, blood pressure and testicular volume using a Prader orchidometer and to determine the patients' Tanner stage (secondary sexual development).

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Scrotum ultrasound

A scrotum ultrasound to measure the patients' testicular volume and to investigate potential abnormalities in the testicular parenchyma.

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Blood sample

A morning blood sample to evaluate the serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), inhibin B (INHB), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), prolactin (PRL), cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Upon approval by the patient himself, a spare blood sample will be collected and retained for 5 years for subsequent research purposes limited to the context of the present study.

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Semen analysis

A semen analysis to evaluate ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, sperm motility, and sperm morphology. If sperm is found in the semen sample, an anti-sperm antibody test and a sperm DNA fragmentation test will be performed. Upon approval by the patient himself, the surplus of the semen sample will be retained for 5 years for subsequent research purposes limited to the context of the present study.

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* young adult men (≥18 years)
* diagnosis of cancer or hematological disorder during childhood (\<18 years)
* high-risk gonadotoxic treatment received during childhood
* at least one year after the last received genotoxic treatment
* did/did not undergo a testicular biopsy procedure at a young age for fertility preservation

Exclusion Criteria

\- prepubertal patients and adolescents (\<18 years)
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

MALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Vrije Universiteit Brussel

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Ellen Goossens

Head of research group BITE

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Ellen Goossens, Prof. Dr.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Locations

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Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel

Brussels, , Belgium

Site Status

Countries

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Belgium

References

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Delgouffe E, Braye A, Vloeberghs V, Mateizel I, Ernst C, Ferster A, Devalck C, Tournaye H, Gies I, Goossens E. Spermatogenesis after gonadotoxic childhood treatment: follow-up of 12 patients. Hum Reprod Open. 2023 Jul 31;2023(3):hoad029. doi: 10.1093/hropen/hoad029. eCollection 2023.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37547664 (View on PubMed)

Belva F, Bonduelle M, Roelants M, Michielsen D, Van Steirteghem A, Verheyen G, Tournaye H. Semen quality of young adult ICSI offspring: the first results. Hum Reprod. 2016 Dec;31(12):2811-2820. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dew245. Epub 2016 Oct 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27707840 (View on PubMed)

Belva F, Roelants M, De Schepper J, Van Steirteghem A, Tournaye H, Bonduelle M. Reproductive hormones of ICSI-conceived young adult men: the first results. Hum Reprod. 2017 Feb;32(2):439-446. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dew324. Epub 2016 Dec 21.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28007789 (View on PubMed)

Belva F, Bonduelle M, Tournaye H. Endocrine and reproductive profile of boys and young adults conceived after ICSI. Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol. 2019 Jun;31(3):163-169. doi: 10.1097/GCO.0000000000000538.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30870183 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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2019-342

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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