Belgium says 52 babies born from sperm donor with cancer-linked gene

BRUSSELS, Belgium: A Danish sperm donor with a potentially cancer-causing gene fathered 52 children in Belgium between 2008 and 2017, the country´s health ministry revealed on Friday, in a case potentially involving several other children across Europe.

According to a recent investigation by The Guardian, at least 10 cases of cancer have been identified among the 67 children born from his donations between 2008 and 2017. The man was reportedly in good health with no known family history of cancer and had been tested in line with regulations in place at the time of the donations.

But he was later found to carry a mutation of the TP53 gene that causes Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), a rare hereditary disorder that significantly increases cancer risks, including for breast cancer or leukaemia.

An alert was issued in 2023 after cancers were identified in some children conceived from his donations at a clinic in Denmark, and Belgium´s Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products was notified that year.

But Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke has said he learned about the case on Monday, and the government has declined to say how many Belgian cases involve confirmed cancer diagnoses. The scandal has exposed apparent breaches of Belgian law, which since 2007 has limited a single donor´s sperm to no more than six women.

“That rule was exceeded nationally and within individual centres,” the health ministry said. An internal review has identified 37 affected families in Belgium, leading to 52 births. Authorities noted that not all children necessarily reside in Belgium. The donor´s sperm was also reportedly used in at least nine other countries -- Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Spain, Hungary, Ireland, Greece, the Netherlands and Poland.