Over 50 Belgian children conceived using sperm donor with cancer-causing gene

Fifty-two children conceived at fertility clinics in Belgium may carry a hereditary gene mutation linked to cancer, officials confirmed this week. The news was announced by Health minister Frank Vandenbroucke and the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP) at a press conference.

The case dates back to a “rapid alert” issued on 8 November 2023 by the European Sperm Bank in Denmark, warning that a donor had been identified as carrying a mutation in the TP53 gene. This mutation is known to significantly increase the risk of developing various types of cancer and can be passed on to offspring.

Despite receiving the alert in 2023, the FAMHP only informed the minister this week. Investigations have since revealed that 14 Belgian fertility clinics had acquired sperm from the donor, and 12 of them used it in treatments between 2008 and 2017.

Under Belgian law, a maximum of six women are permitted to receive sperm from the same donor.

In total, 37 women were treated using the donor’s sperm, resulting in the birth of 52 children who may now be at risk due to the inherited gene mutation. It remains unclear how many of the children have inherited the TP53 mutation.

The donor is believed to have fathered at least 67 children globally. Belgian authorities are now working to trace and inform the affected families.

^{Illustration picture shows the fertility clinic of the university hospital in Brussel © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK}