The sperm of a man with a dangerous mutated gene has been used in Europe to conceive 67 children. This rare mutation significantly increases the risk of cancer. The disease has now been diagnosed in ten of the children.
The case came to light when two families contacted their fertility clinic, reports The Guardian.
Their children had developed a form of cancer that appeared to be related to a rare genetic mutation. They discovered that the sperm donor carries a mutated gene that significantly increases the risk of cancer.
When the man donated his sperm in 2008, it was not yet known that the mutation increased the risk of cancer, according to The Guardian. The mutation also could not be detected with standard screening techniques and the donor was reportedly in good health.
The European Sperm Bank reports that the man’s sperm has been used to conceive at least 67 children. The rare hereditary mutation has been found in 23 children. Cancer has been diagnosed in ten of them, including leukemia and lymphoma.
Renewed Conerns About the Limit for Sperm Donors
These are children from 43 families in 8 different European countries. It is unclear whether there are also Dutch children among them.
The case is leading to renewed concerns about the limit for sperm donors. The European Sperm Bank currently uses a limit of 75 families per donor. But there is no limit to the number of children that may be conceived per sperm donor.
The European Sperm Bank says it is “deeply touched” by the case. But according to the organization, it is “simply not possible to detect disease-causing mutations in someone’s DNA if you don’t know what you’re looking for.”