The research results were published Wednesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The study found that 76 percent of the 554 men examined who tried to have children after receiving treatment for testicle cancer succeeded within 20 years.
"It appears that we have this high percent because the forms of treatment are constantly developing and becoming more gentle," said doctor and research fellow Marianne Brydøy at the cancer ward of Haukeland University Hospital.
The fertility rate for men treated for this type of cancer is linked to the type of treatment they undergo, Brydøy told Aftenposten.no. The lowest fertility rate is found among those who received the highest dosages of cancer treatment drugs, but even here nearly half were capable of fathering children within 15 years of treatment. Of those who had a testicle removed, a rate of about 90 percent fertility was recorded.
Norway has a high testicle cancer rate and it is the most common form of cancer among men aged 20-40. Treatment cures 95 percent of the afflicted.
The cancer divisions of all the university hospitals in Norway took part in the comprehensive national study, and data was collected on 1,433 men. These men were treated between 1980-1994, and the study carried out from 1998-2002.
The study, which was financed by the Norwegian Foundation for Health and Rehabilitation and the Norwegian Cancer Society, has captured international interest.
