European reproductive medicine clinics used sperm from an anonymous donor who unknowingly carried a genetic mutation significantly increasing the risk of cancer. According to an extensive investigation, the donor fathered at least 197 children across Europe. Unfortunately, some children died before reaching adulthood precisely because of the said mutation.
It concerns the TP53 gene, which has a key role in preventing the transformation of cells into cancer. Up to twenty percent of the donor’s sperm contained a dangerous variant, which means that children conceived from these sperm have the mutation in every cell of their body. This condition is known as Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, which can lead to up to a ninety percent risk of developing cancer, including childhood leukemia, brain or bone tumors, and in women, breast cancer.
“It’s a terrible diagnosis. It’s very difficult for families, it’s a lifelong burden and clearly devastating,Professor Clare Turnbull, from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, told the BBC. Children undergo annual examinations, including brain and body MRIs and abdominal ultrasounds, and women often opt for preventive mastectomy to reduce the risk of cancer.
The donor remained healthy and passed all donor screening tests. The sperm bank stated that the donor and his family were not sick and that the mutation could not be detected by preventive genetic testing. After discovering the problem, the donor was immediately blocked.
The investigation revealed that the donor had provided sperm for seventeen years, beginning in 2005. The clinics, including dozens of sites in fourteen countries, such as They used Denmark, Belgium, Spain, Iceland, Germany, Greece, Cyprus, North Macedonia, Georgia, Hungary, Hungary, Ireland.
“We have seen many children who have already developed cancer. Some have two different cancers and some die very young,” said Dr. Edwige Kasperová from the University of Rouen.
Experts point out that there is no international law on the maximum number of sperms used by one donor, although individual countries have their own limits. For example, in Belgium, one donor can provide sperm to a maximum of six families.
