Prostate Cancer question

My husband received brachytherapy for prostate cancer in 2005.  I asked the radiation oncologist if my husband and I could still have a baby together.  He didn't answer and instructed me to ask the urologist.  Can you tell me?

[Kamal S Saini, MD, MRCP (UK), DM]

Hi,
I assume that your husband has not undergone sperm banking prior to starting therapy for prostate cancer.
If that is the case, then there are two issues we are dealing with.
One, is it at all possible for him to father a child (i.e. does his semen contain enough viable sperms?).
Two, is there a higher risk of any genetic disease, or of cancer, to any child he may father, given his recent history of radiation therapy.
I think a good starting point would be to get a sperm analysis done. This will settle the first issue, and then we can discuss the second issue based on the results of this test.