Characterization of the temporal persistence of chromosomal abnormalities in the semen of Hodkin`s disease patients after treatment with NOVP chemotherapy using multi-chromosome fluorescence in situ hybridization

Three-chromosome fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was applied to sperm of men with Hodgkin`s disease to measure the persistence of chromosomally abnormal sperm within the time interval of 3 to 33 months after the end of treatment. NOVP chemotherapy includes the agents novantrone, oncovin, vinblastine, and prednisone, two of which are spindle poisons expected to induce aneuploidy. Semen samples were evaluated for the frequencies of fluorescence phenotypes representing hyperhaploidy, hypohaploidy, and genomic duplications using DNA probes specific for repetitive sequences on chromosomes X,Y, and 8. Using this procedure, NOVP was previously shown to induce chromosomally abnormal sperm in treated patients. In a longitudinal assessment of 11 semen samples from 2 men, frequencies of abnormal sperm appeared to return to pre-treatment levels at {approximately}6 months after the end of treatment and remained at these levels up to 33 months after the end of treatment. However, pre-treatment frequencies of chromosomally abnormal cells in Hodgkin`s patients were elevated above those found in normal healthy men. Additional patients are being evaluated to determine how long after therapy Hodgkin`s disease patients remain at increased risk for producing chromosomally abnormal sperm.