Gonadal Cytogenetic Damage from Exposure to Extrinsic Agents

This chapter is a compendium of what is known about the susceptibility, or resistance, of the gonad to agents that might seem candidates for possibly causing damage, and with particular reference to chromosomal status of gametes. A main focus is on cancer treatments. A majority of children and young adults who receive modern cancer treatment survive. Some treatments cause sterility, but in quite a number, fertility is unscathed, or at any rate, subsequently recovers. The chapter also references industrial, environmental, and recreational factors. A notable and substantially reassuring conclusion from these data is the apparent dearth of instances of an extrinsic factor having caused a chromosome abnormality in the sperm or egg of an exposed person.