home > marrow programs > abc's of marrow or blood cell donation

the abc's of donation

give a little it helps alot...

ABCs of Marrow or Blood Stem Cell Donation

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 72 other blood related 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 National Marrow 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?
Cell samples from adult donors or umbilical cord blood units are tested, and the cell type is added to the National Marrow Donor Program's 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: Black 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. The amount of donor's marrow is completely replaced within four to six weeks after the collection.

Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) donation takes place at an Apheresis Center (Local Blood Bank or Hospital). To increase the number of blood-forming cells in the bloodstream, donors receive daily injections of a drug called filgrastim for five days before the collection. The donor's blood is then removed through a sterile needle in one arm, passed through a machine that separates out the cells used in transplantation, and the remaining blood is returned through the other arm.

Cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord after a baby's birth. The cord blood is taken to a cord blood bank where it is tested. Cord blood units that meet eligibility standards are frozen and stored for future use. The collection does not pose any health risk to the mother or baby, and does not affect the birth process in any way.

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 have 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.

PBSC (Peripheral Blood Stem Cell) donors report varying symptoms including headache, bone or muscle pain, nausea, insomnia and fatigue while receiving injections of filgrastim. These effects disappear shortly after collection. During the collection, donors may experience a tingling feeling or chills. These effects go away shortly after donating. When asked about their discomfort, most donors are quick to point out that it was 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 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 inside the large bones, where they begin to function and multiply.

How does a person become a volunteer donor?
Contact Kids Beating Cancer to receive a testing kit, to find out if there is a recruitment drive in your area, or to host a donor recruitment drive with your club, church, or corporation.   Potential donors must be between the ages of 18 and 60 years old and meet health guidelines. A small swab of inner cheek cells 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 National Marrow Donor Program Registry until they are 61 years old.

contact@kidsbeatingcancer.com (407) 894-2888 or toll-free (866) 800-HOPE

back to top