World Cancer Day: Blood Stem Cell Donation FAQ — Criteria, Procedure, Cost Factor And All You Want To Know

Blood stem cell transplant can be used as part of the treatment regimen in certain types of blood cancer, such as leukaemia, myeloma, and lymphoma, and other blood and immune system diseases.

Blood stem cell transplantation can be used as part of the treatment regimen in certain types of blood cancer, such as leukaemia, myeloma, and lymphoma.

Source : Canva

By Dr. Nitin Agarwal

Blood Cancer typically means malignancies of the blood, bone marrow, or lymph nodes that affect normal blood cell production or function. Blood stem cell transplant plays a major role as part of treatment for blood cancer and blood disorders. It replaces the diseased marrow with healthy cells. It serves as a ‘rescue’ following treatments that suppress or destroy the bone marrow. It also serves as a means to correct congenital immunodeficiency disorders or other genetic diseases.

Which Diseases Can Be Treated With Blood Stem Cell Transplant?

Blood stem cell transplant can be used as part of the treatment regimen in certain types of blood cancer, such as leukaemia, myeloma, and lymphoma, and other blood and immune system diseases like thalassaemia and aplastic anaemia. In most cases, blood stem cell transplants are used for patients who have a disorder of the blood-forming system, such as any form of leukaemia and lymph node cancer in children and adults, severe aplastic anaemia, severe congenital immune defects (in children only), and various disorders of the red blood cells.

However, the most common reason for a blood stem cell transplant is as part of treatment for one of several types of blood cancer.

How Do You Donate Blood Stem Cells? Is It Safe?

Potential donors register through a voluntary process, and when a match is found, they embark on a journey of altruism, selflessly donating blood stem cells to save lives. Donating stem cells is an act of the greatest altruistic kindness, which would not have been feasible without generous donors.

Blood stem cells are donated through the Peripheral Blood Stem Cell donation (PBSC) method. Peripheral blood stem cell collection is safe and the most commonly used donation method today. There are organisations that help with the process, when a donor is matched with a patient, usually covering all costs that could be incurred by a donor as a result of the donation process.

A week before the procedure, the donor gets a stem cell booster called Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) for a period of five days. G-CSF occurs naturally in the body and increases the number of stem cells that are produced in the bone marrow and circulate into the bloodstream.

How Long Is The Donation Procedure? Does The Donor Need Any Special Care?

On the day of the donation, the donor’s blood is collected from one arm using a sterile, disposable kit and passed through a machine that separates out the blood stem cells. The remaining blood is routed back to the donor through the other arm. This is a very safe, non-surgical outpatient procedure that takes approximately three to five hours to complete at the most. Donors can normally leave the collection centre on the same day. Very rarely is a second-day collection needed.

As the donor prepares to make a stem cell donation, a team of professionals stay by the donor’s side every step of the way, giving advice and assistance whenever requested. The trained staff work in close consultation with the donor to take care of all the requirements, be it travel arrangements to the collection centre or any necessary hotel bookings. A designated contact is available at all times to answer questions about the procedure. It is taken care of that a stem cell donor feels safe, well-informed, and well-looked after.

The author is MD, Transfusion Medicine, and HoD, Donor Request Management, at DKMS BMST Foundation, India.

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