Sperm donor has with the help of science been able to spread rare cancer gene to his 67 children

Published June 9, 2025 | By NewsJive.com

A sperm donor who with the help of science has fathered at least 67 children in Europe has been found to carry a rare cancer-causing gene.

The case has sparked calls from medical professionals for stricter international regulations on sperm donation.

So far, ten of the children conceived using his sperm have been diagnosed with cancer.

The issue came to light after two families independently contacted their fertility clinics when their children developed cancers linked to the rare gene known as TP53.

At the time of the sperm donation in 2008, the link between the gene variant and cancer was not yet understood. Moreover, the mutation is so rare that it would not have been detected through standard screening methods, The Guardian reports.

Following investigations across Europe, 46 families and 67 children have now been tested. The TP53 gene variant was found in 23 of the children, ten of whom have been diagnosed with conditions including leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

If nature had taken its own course — without scientific and artificial intervention — this sperm donor would hardly have had 67 offspring to begin with.

This, in turn, raises ethical questions about whether science, in certain contexts, causes more harm than good — on a massive scale — for human life.

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