10 Children Conceived with Same Sperm Donor Develop Cancer — and the Man's Sperm Was Used by at Least 67 Families

After 10 children developed cancer, immoderate of their families traced nan diagnoses backmost to a singular sperm philanthropist pinch a uncommon familial variant.

The business began erstwhile 2 of nan children’s families reached retired to their respective fertility clinics aft nan kids were diagnosed pinch cancers linked to a uncommon familial mutation, according to a caller study from The Guardian. The study was published connected May 23, 1 time earlier Dr. Edwige Kasper, a French biologist, presented nan lawsuit astatine nan European Society of Human Genetics convention successful Milan.

European Sperm Bank, which supplied nan sperm, confirmed that nan uncommon version — which Kasper’s laboratory concluded was apt to origin Li-Fraumeni syndrome, an inherited predisposition to crab — was recovered successful immoderate of nan sperm, according to The Guardian. And much than 2 children were affected.

Separate but simultaneous investigations revealed that nan variant, recovered successful a cistron called TP53, was coming successful 23 full children, 10 of whom had already been diagnosed pinch leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and different cancers, nan outlet reported.

Though 10 kids person been diagnosed frankincense far, nan institution besides confirmed that nan donor’s sperm was utilized to conceive galore much children.

European Sperm Bank — which recruits sperm donors successful Denmark, Germany and nan Netherlands, according to its website — said that much than 67 kids were conceived utilizing nan donor’s sperm, and that each applicable fertility clinics were alerted to nan situation. (It did not, however, corroborate nan nonstop number, citing a institution privateness policy.)

European Sperm Bank did not instantly respond to PEOPLE’s petition for remark connected Sunday, May 25.

A spokesperson for nan company, Julie Paulli Budtz, told The Guardian nan institution is “deeply affected by this case.”

Budtz besides said that, moreover pinch thorough testing anterior to sperm donation, “it is scientifically simply not imaginable to observe disease-causing mutations successful a person’s cistron excavation if you don’t cognize what you are looking for.”

Even if testing had unearthed nan mutation, it was not yet linked to crab successful 2008 (the clip of nan donation) and would not person been detectable done modular screening procedures, The Guardian reported. The outlet besides said nan philanthropist is successful bully health.

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Given nan caller diagnoses linked to a azygous donor, however, Kasper argues that location should beryllium a limit connected nan number of births aliases families for a azygous philanthropist instated crossed Europe.

Speaking pinch The Guardian, nan biologist said: “We can’t do whole-genome sequencing for each sperm donors — I’m not arguing for that. But this is nan abnormal dissemination of familial disease. Not each man has 75 children crossed Europe.”

That fig is simply a reference to European Sperm Bank’s self-imposed limit. Reacting to calls for a limit placed connected nan number of children conceived pinch nan sperm of a azygous donor, Budtz told The Guardian, “We invited continued speech connected mounting an internationally mandated family limit and person advocated for this connected respective occasions.”

“This is besides why we person proactively implemented our ain world limit of 75 families per donor,” Budtz added.