Donor with oncogenic mutation became father to almost 200 children in Europe — some have already died of cancer
A sperm donor, who began donating sperm in Denmark in 2005, became the biological father of at least 197 children in 14 European countries, a large-scale journalistic investigation conducted by 14 European media companies has revealed.
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The European Sperm Bank in Denmark, which sold the sperm, stated that it expresses "deepest sympathy" to the affected families.
A mutation in the TP53 gene, which sharply increases the risk of cancer development, was found in this donor. Children born from sperm with this mutation inherit Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which carries up to a 90% lifetime risk of oncological disease, most often in childhood.
The donor himself remains healthy, as the dangerous mutation is not present throughout his entire body, but only in approximately 20% of his sperm cells. However, ten children born from this donor have already been diagnosed with cancer, and some of them have died at a very young age.
The European Sperm Bank in Denmark stated that such a mutation is not detected by standard screenings, and the donor was immediately blocked as soon as the problem became known.
Over 17 years, his sperm was used by 67 clinics.
The investigation also revealed that in some countries, national regulations regarding the number of children from a single donor were violated. For example, in Belgium, where the limit is six families, this donor became the father of 53 children from 38 women. Experts note that there is no international law regulating the number of offspring from a single donor.