Is hyperdiploidy of immature ejaculated germ cells predictive of testis malignancy? A comparative study in healthy normozoospermic, infertile and testis tumor suffering subjects

The possibility of diagnosing neoplastic testis pathologies by studying imm ature germ cells released from the seminiferous epithelium and present in t he semen has been reported. It has been suggested that carcinoma in situ (C IS) of the testis and testis tumor may be identified by studying specific s urface antigenic determinants or ploidy of chromosome 1 of malignant germ c ells recovered from the semen. A noninvasive diagnostic approach of this ty pe would be of great interest if we consider that CIS is supposed to preced e the development of testicular germ cell tumors and that the frequency of that preneoplastic condition is increased in specific andrologic pathologie s. To evaluate the reliability of this diagnostic approach, we have quantif ied the presence of immature hyperdiploid germ cells in the seminal fluid o f normal healthy subjects, of infertile oligozoospermic patients affected b y maldescended testis or left varicocele, and of patients suffering from CI S or testis tumor. Cell ploidy was evaluated on seminal cell fractions high ly enriched in immature germ cells, by means of in situ hybridization with a DNA-probe specific for chromosome 1. Our observations indicate that chrom osome 1 hyperdiploidy is not necessarily a predictive parameter of testis t umoral pathologies. The percentage of hyperdiploid immature seminal germ ce lls is in fact increased in nontumoral pathologies associated with infertil ity, such as cryptorchidism and left varicocele.