A rare genetic mutation has been linked to ten children diagnosed with cancer, all of whom had the same sperm donor from European Sperm Bank. The mutation, found in some of the donor’s sperm, was used by at least 67 total families. Biologist Dr. Edwige Kasper calls for a limit on the number of births or families for a single donor to prevent similar cases.
According to reports, two children’s families reached out to their respective fertility clinics after the kids were diagnosed with cancers linked to the rare genetic mutation. Investigations revealed that the variant, found in a gene called TP53, was present in 23 total children, 10 of whom had already been diagnosed with leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other cancers.
The European Sperm Bank confirmed that the donor’s sperm was used to conceive many more children beyond the initial 67. However, the company did not confirm the exact number due to privacy policy constraints. The bank acknowledged that even thorough testing prior to sperm donation could not detect disease-causing mutations in a person’s gene pool if it wasn’t known what to look for.
Biologist Dr. Edwige Kasper is advocating for an internationally mandated family limit on donors, citing the abnormal dissemination of genetic disease. She argues that setting such a limit would prevent similar cases and recognize that “not every man has 75 children across Europe.” The European Sperm Bank has already implemented its own self-imposed international limit of 75 families per donor.
Source: https://people.com/10-kids-conceived-with-same-sperm-donor-develop-cancer-11741613