Cancer Diagnoses in 10 Children Traced to Single Sperm Donor with Rare Genetic Mutation
A troubling case has emerged involving 10 children diagnosed with cancer, including leukemia and lymphoma, all linked to a single sperm donor carrying a rare mutation in the TP53 gene, associated with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a hereditary cancer predisposition.
The discovery began when two families contacted their fertility clinics after cancer diagnoses in their children. Investigations revealed 23 children carry the same variant, and over 67 children were conceived using this donor’s sperm through the European Sperm Bank.
The sperm bank acknowledged the presence of the variant and notified clinics, but cited limitations in genetic screening. In 2008, when the sperm was donated, standard tests wouldn’t have detected this mutation.
Dr. Edwige Kasper, who presented the case at the European Society of Human Genetics, is now urging a Europe-wide limit on how many families can use one donor. Currently, European Sperm Bank has a self-imposed limit of 75 families per donor.
“This is the abnormal dissemination of genetic disease,” Kasper said. “Not every man has 75 children across Europe.”
The case has reignited debate around genetic screening and regulation in the fertility industry, as calls grow louder for internationally mandated donor limits.
