Overview
- A BBC/EBU cross-border probe reports an anonymous donor’s sperm was used at 67 clinics in 14 countries over about 17 years, leading to at least 197 births.
- About 20% of the donor’s sperm carried a TP53 variant that causes Li-Fraumeni syndrome in affected offspring, conferring up to a roughly 90% lifetime cancer risk.
- Doctors have identified carriers among tested children, at least 10 have developed cancer and some have died, with further tracing under way and totals potentially rising.
- The European Sperm Bank says the mutation was undetectable by routine screening due to gonadal mosaicism, and it blocked the donor in 2023 and notified authorities and clinics.
- Donor-usage limits were breached in some countries, including Belgium, and regulators and clinics are contacting families and offering genetic testing and intensive surveillance.