Table 1.

Radiotherapy protocols with high or intermediate impact on ovarian and testicular function. Modified from Rodriguez-Wallberg and Oktay (33).

Radiotherapy protocols and their risk of prolonged azoospermia in men or amenorrhoea in women

High risk

Total body irradiation (TBI) for bone marrow transplant/stem cell transplant

Testicular radiation dose >2.5 Gy in adult men

Testicular radiation dose ≥6 Gy in prepubertal boys

Pelvic or whole-abdominal radiation dose ≥6 Gy in adult women

Pelvic or whole-abdominal radiation dose ≥10 Gy in postpubertal girls

Pelvic radiation or whole-abdominal dose ≥15 Gy in prepubertal girls

Intermediate risk

Testicular radiation dose 1 − 6 Gy from scattered pelvic or abdominal radiation

Pelvic or whole-abdominal radiation dose 5 − 10 Gy in postpubertal girls

Pelvic or whole-abdominal radiation dose 10 − 15 Gy in prepubertal girls

Craniospinal radiotherapy dose ≥25 Gy14a

^aCranial irradiation for the treatment of brain tumours may induce infertility in both female and male patients by disruption of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis and disturbance of gonadotropin secretion.