In Europe, 67 children were embarked from a donor with a cancer mutation

In 10 children conceived with the help of a man’s sperm already diagnosed with cancer

Photo: Science Photo Library/Zephyr/Getty Images

The sperm of a man who is a carrier of a rare mutation that causes cancer has been used for conception of at least 67 children in eight countries in Europe.

Ten of them have already become cancer, including leukemia and non -Hodgkin’s lymphoma, writes The Guardian

The case was found after two families have reported their clinics about cancer in children.

It was later revealed that a mutation in the TP53 Gena was present in the donor semen provided by the European Bank. It is one of the causes of Li-Fraumen syndrome-severe hereditary cancer. At the time of donation in 2008, this mutation was not yet oncogenic, and therefore it was not revealed by standard screening methods.

Genetic and pediatric wards throughout Europe began their own investigations. In the end, this mutation was discovered in 23 out of 67 children conceived with the sperm of this donor. At the same time, the man is now healthy.

Children with a risky mutation are advised to regularly seal the MRI of the whole body, brain, and in adulthood – also breasts and abdominal cavity.

This case once again raised the issue of lack of international restrictions on the number of children who can be conceived from one semen donor.

Experts have repeatedly warned the potential social and psychological consequences, when one donor becomes a biological parent for a large number of children in different countries.

However, this case demonstrated another problem – the difficulty of tracking families with such children in the event of a serious medical threat.

« We need to introduce a European restriction on the number of births or families per donor. Because it is an abnormal spread of a genetic disease. Not every man has 75 children across Europe, » – said Dr. Edviz Kasper, biologist from the University Hospital of Ruan (France).

We used to wrotethat in the Netherlands, women are alarmed because of the « fertility » of donor sperm – it can be a father of almost 1,100 children.