Abstract
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is one of the most common cancers affecting men of reproductive age. The high response rate of bendamustine as first-line treatment for NHL, coupled with young age of patients, makes elucidation of the impact of treatment on male reproduction important. Our aim was to determine the effects of bendamustine on male reproduction by animal model. Male mice were treated with bendamustine (40 mg/kg) through tail vein injection while cisplatin was given as a standard (3 mg/kg) through intraperitoneal injection. After 3 weeks, bendamustine induced weight loss and sperm morphology abnormalities were compared to the control. Additionally, sperm with folded tails were the most frequent abnormality in bendamustine-treated mice. But the mechanism of sperm abnormality induced by bendamustine remains to be elucidated. These results indicate bendamustine may affect spermatozoa of patients who have been treated for NHL.
Highlights
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a heterogeneous group of lymphoid malignancies accounting for a significant portion of cancers occurring in children, adolescents and young adults[1]
There was no significant difference in the cross-sections of the testis between the bendamustine treated group and the control group (Fig. 3A and B)
While the testis cross-sections of cisplatin treated mice were characterized by severe atrophy and early germ cell–depleted seminiferous epithelium compared to controls, consistent with decrease in testis weights (Fig. 3C and D)
Summary
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a heterogeneous group of lymphoid malignancies accounting for a significant portion of cancers occurring in children, adolescents and young adults[1]. The overall incidence of NHL increases steadily with age and is predominantly higher in males. The increase has been dramatic in patients aged 10–29 years, averaging 4%–19% per year over 25 years[2] Predominant NHL in adolescents and young adults include Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), lymphoblastic lymphoma (LL), diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) and primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma. With an overall response rate (ORR) of over 86%[6], bendamustine based therapy showed modest activity in patients with relapsed and refractory DLBCL[7]. The high response rate makes the post-treatment quality of life of DLBCL patients a concern, and because of patients undergoing chemotherapy for NHL are usually of reproductive age, consideration of the impact of the treatment on fertility and reproductive function has become increasingly important
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