Concerns Raised Over Donor Sperm Use After Cancer Cases Linked to Rare Mutation
A startling case involving the sperm of a man carrying a rare cancer-causing mutation has drawn attention to the significant gaps in international regulations regarding sperm donation. The donor’s sperm led to the conception of at least 67 children across Europe between 2008 and 2015, with a troubling 10 of these children later diagnosed with cancers linked to a genetic variant known as TP53.
Dr. Edwige Kasper from Rouen University Hospital presented the findings at the European Society of Human Genetics conference in Milan. She stressed the urgent need for a European limit on the number of families or births allowed per sperm donor. “The situation represents the abnormal dissemination of genetic disease,” she noted, underscoring concerns over the implications for tracking families and identifying potential health risks.
The case surfaced when several families reported cancer diagnoses amongst their children, prompting analysis that revealed the TP53 variant, which is linked to Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a severe genetic predisposition to cancer. While the mutation was undetectable during the donor’s screening in 2008, Kasper’s subsequent research indicated its potential cancer-causing nature.
The European Sperm Bank, which maintains a policy limiting sperm donors to 75 families, acknowledged that more children than the 67 reported were conceived using this donor’s sperm, although they refrained from providing an exact number. Experts like Prof. Nicky Hudson from De Montfort University expressed the need for better tracking systems to minimize risks in multi-national sperm use.
Julie Paulli Budtz, a spokesperson for the sperm bank, emphasized the challenges of detecting mutations without prior knowledge and echoed calls for international family limits, marking a crucial step towards safeguarding the health of future generations.
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