A sperm donor carrying a rare mutation in the TP53 gene—associated with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a severe hereditary cancer predisposition—fathered at least 67 children across eight European countries between 2008 and 2015. To date, 10 of these children have been diagnosed with various forms of cancer, including leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The case came to light when two families independently contacted their fertility clinics after their children were diagnosed with cancers linked to the TP53 mutation. Subsequent investigations across Europe revealed that 23 of the 67 children conceived with the donor’s sperm carry the mutation.
At the time of donation in 2008, the TP53 variant was not known to be cancer-causing and would not have been detected using standard screening techniques. The European Sperm Bank, which supplied the donor’s sperm, confirmed the presence of the mutation in some samples but did not disclose the exact number of births resulting from this donor.
Dr. Edwige Kasper, a biologist at Rouen University Hospital in France, presented the case at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics in Milan. She emphasized the need for a European limit on the number of births or families per donor, stating, “Not every man has 75 children across Europe.”
The incident has sparked calls for internationally standardized limits on the number of families per sperm donor and improved tracking systems for donor-conceived children across borders. Experts, including Prof. Nicky Hudson of De Montfort University in Leicester … highlight the challenges of tracing families when a serious medical issue … , especially when donor sperm is used internationally.
Children carrying the TP53 mutation are advised to undergo regular health check-ups, including whole-body MRI scans, to monitor for early signs of cancer. The European Sperm Bank has alerted all relevant clinics about the issue and expressed deep concern over the case.
