Cancer-linked gene from Danish sperm donor found in four children in Greece

Newsroom
10.12.2025

Four children in Greece have been found to carry a cancer-linked gene from a Danish sperm donor, while seven clinics in Greece have received sperm from him, according to an investigation by the BBC and 13 other European public broadcasters.

In November 2020, a Greek doctor specializing in childhood cancer detected the TP53 mutation in three children from one family, all of whom had been conceived through in vitro fertilization in Greek clinics using sperm from the specific donor.

One of the children has already developed cancer.

In 2023, the same doctor identified a fourth child born from the same donor’s sperm who also carries the mutation.

The Danish man has fathered at least 197 children across Europe.

The mutation affects the TP53 gene, causing Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which carries up to a 90% lifetime risk of cancer, particularly in childhood and later breast cancer. Some children conceived from the donor’s sperm have already died.