London — An investigation by 14 European public broadcasters found that sperm from a donor carrying a cancer-causing TP53 gene was used to conceive nearly 200 children across Europe since 2005.
Geneticists said some affected children have already died of cancer, while most who inherited the mutation face high lifetime risks, including Li-Fraumeni syndrome and childhood cancers. The donor had passed all screening checks at the European Sperm Bank before donating.
Doctors identified the case after spotting cancer patterns among donor-conceived children. So far, 23 children have tested positive for the gene from 67 initially traced births, with 10 already diagnosed with cancer, while journalists later uncovered at least 197 affected births across 14 countries. “It is a dreadful diagnosis,” Clare Turnbull said.
In Belgium, legal limits were breached, with 53 children born to 38 women using the donor’s sperm.