Q/A Of Bone Marrow Donation

    Bone marrow smear

    of a patient with chronic

    myelogenous leukemia.

What is a marrow or blood cell transplant?

A marrow or blood cell transplant is a potentially life-saving treatment for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood diseases. A transplant replaces a patient’s unhealthy blood cells with healthy blood-forming cells from a volunteer donor. Patients who do not have a suitably matching donor in their family may search the NMDP donor Registry for a donor. The three sources of blood-forming cells are marrow, blood-forming cells collected from the blood (called a PBSC donation) and umbilical cord blood.

How are patients matched with donors?

Blood samples from adult donors or cord blood units are tested, and the tissue type is added to the NMDP Registry. Doctors can search this Registry when they need to find a donor whose tissue type matches their patient’s.

How does a person’s race or ethnicity affect matching?

Because tissue type is inherited, patients are most likely to match someone of their same race and ethnicity. There is a special need to recruit more donors who identify themselves as: Blacks or African American, American Indian, or Alaska Native, Asian, Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino.

How are blood-forming cells collected?

Marrow donation is a surgical procedure performed in a hospital. While the donor receives anesthesia, doctors use special, hollow needles to withdraw liquid marrow from the donor’s pelvic bones. Many donors receive a transfusion of their own previously donated blood. A donor’s marrow is completely replaced within four to six weeks.

Does donating hurt? What are the side effects?

Marrow donors can expect to feel some soreness in their lower back for a few days or longer. Donors also reported feeling tired and having some difficulty walking. Most donors are back to their usual routine in a few days. Some may take two to three weeks before they feel completely recovered.

When asked about their discomfort, most donors are quick to point out that it worth it to help save a life, and they would be willing to do it again.

How does a patient receive a transplant?

After a patient undergoes a chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment to destroy their diseased marrow, the healthy donor cells are given directly into the patient’s bloodstream. The cells travel to the marrow, where they begin to function and multiply.

How does a person become a volunteer donor?

Potential donors must be between the ages 18 and 60 years old and meet health guidelines. A small blood sample is taken and tested to determine the donor’s tissue type. Potential donors also complete a brief health questionnaire and sign a consent form to have their tissue type listed on the Registry.

For more information on becoming a bone marrow donor,

visit the National Marrow Donation Program web site at www.marrow.org