Sperm From Cancer-Linked Donor Used to Conceive Nearly 200 Children

A major investigation has found that a sperm donor, who unknowingly carried a genetic mutation that significantly increases the risk of cancer, has fathered at least 197 children across Europe.

Tragically, some of these children have already died, and most who inherit the mutation are unlikely to avoid cancer in their lifetimes.

Although the sperm was not sold to clinics in the UK, the BBC has confirmed that a small number of British families used this donor’s sperm during fertility treatments in Denmark.

The European Sperm Bank, which sold the sperm, expressed their “deepest sympathy” and acknowledged that too many babies were conceived from this donor in certain countries.

The donor, an anonymous man who began donating sperm as a student in 2005, remained healthy and passed all screening tests.

However, a mutation occurred in the DNA of some of his cells before his birth, damaging the TP53 gene, which is critical for preventing cancerous cells in the body. While most of his body does not contain this harmful form of TP53, up to 20% of his sperm does.

Children conceived from this affected sperm will carry the mutation in every cell of their body. This condition, known as Li-Fraumeni syndrome, comes with up to a 90% chance of developing cancer, particularly during childhood or breast cancer later in life. Professor Clare Turnbull, a cancer geneticist, described the diagnosis as “dreadful,” explaining the lifelong burden and devastation it brings to families.

Annual MRI scans and ultrasounds are required to monitor for tumors, and many women opt for preventive mastectomies to reduce their cancer risk.

The European Sperm Bank noted that the donor and his family members are healthy, and such mutations are not detected through standard genetic screening. They stated they “immediately blocked” the donor after the issue was identified.

Recently, doctors reported findings to the European Society of Human Genetics, noting that they had found 23 children with the mutation out of 67 known cases at that time, with 10 already diagnosed with cancer.

Further investigations revealed that the total number of children born to this donor is at least 197, although exact figures may increase as data from more countries is collected. It remains unclear how many of these children inherited the dangerous mutation.