Almost 200 children conceived using sperm from donor with cancer-causing genetic defect
A sperm donor with an inherited genetic defect that causes cancer has fathered almost 200 children across Europe, according to the European Broadcasting Union’s Investigative Journalism Network. 53 of the children were conceived at clinics in Belgium.
In May, it became known that dozens of babies had been born to 38 women in Belgium using sperm from one anonymous Danish donor, violating the national limit of six women per donor. The man unknowingly passed on a mutation in the TP53 gene, which greatly increases the risk of cancer in his offspring.
A major investigation by the EBU now shows that at least 197 children in 14 countries across Europe were conceived using the sperm. The actual number may be higher, as five countries have not released information. 99 babies were conceived in Denmark and 35 in Spain.
The man was identified in November 2023 by the European Sperm Bank, based in Denmark, which alerted Belgium’s Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products. He began donating in 2005 and his sperm was used for around 17 years.
The investigation was conducted by 14 public service broadcasters, including VRT, RTBF and the BBC.
The European Sperm Bank told VRT that the limit on donation had been violated in Belgium, blaming “insufficient reporting by clinics, non-robust systems and fertility tourism”. It would not confirm how many babies in total had been conceived using the man’s sperm.
New mutation
Donors all receive basic medical screening before being allowed to donate, to reduce the risk of passing on an inherited genetic disorder. The mutation in the TP53 gene could not be detected during screening, as it is a new, previously unknown mutation.
Most of the donor’s body does not contain the mutated form of TP53, but up to 20 per cent of his sperm do. Any children born from those affected sperm will have the mutation in every cell.
The BBC reports that Dr Edwige Kasper, a cancer geneticist at Rouen University Hospital, told the investigation: “We have many children that have already developed a cancer. We have some children that have developed already two different cancers and some of them have already died at a very early age.”
There is no coordination on sperm donation in Europe and therefore no limit on the number of children per donor. While there are national limits, these were violated in both Belgium and Spain.
Last month, the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology published a recommendation to limit the number of families per donor in the EU to 50.
Illustration © PHOTO JULIE SEBADELHA / LA VOIX DU NORD
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