Donor Search Process

Approximately thirty percent of the patients in need of a blood stem cell transplant will find a match in his or her family. The remaining seventy percent of patients rely on volunteer unrelated donors. Our donor search coordinators will conduct an unrelated donor search for patients that do not have a matched donor in their family.

If possible, multiple donors are requested simultaneously to provide a blood sample for additional typing. Multiple requests are made because from the time of recruitment to the time of a repeat request, a donor may have had a change in health status or availability. The donor registries facilitate donor sample procurement. The search coordinators do not have direct contact with the donors. Nationally, the average time to locate a suitable donor is four months (this time varies depending on the recipients HLA typing).

Once a suitable donor is identified, the transplant is tentatively scheduled. The donor participates in an informational session during which the risks and benefits of donation are explained. In addition, the donor undergoes a physical examination by a physician close to the donor's home to assess his or her health.

The bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell collection is usually performed the same day the transplant takes place. The cells are collected from the donor at a collection/apheresis center close to where the donor resides and are hand-delivered to the patient's transplant center location.

The identity of the transplant recipient and donor are kept confidential at all times. Each registry has its own rules regarding recipient and donor contact after the transplant. Most registries allow anonymous communication by mail through the search coordinator. Some registries allow direct contact one to two years following a transplant if both parties consent.

If you are donating for a family member

If a family member of yours is a patient who needs a stem cell transplant, the first step is for you to be "HLA typed" to determine whether you are a possible donor match for the stem cells the patient requires. Approximately 30 percent of the patients in need of a blood stem cell transplant will find a match in his or her family.

A donor coordinator will contact you about HLA typing and pre-screening. Related donors' pre-screening requirements are different than unrelated donors. Your donor coordinator can provide more information about this and answer any questions you have.

Every related donor has access to psychosocial resources available at Dana-Farber. Many people find it helpful to confidentially discuss questions and concerns with a clinical social worker. Your donor coordinator will be able to direct you to more information about these resources.

The National Marrow Donor Program

The Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center is a fully accredited member of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) as a transplant center, apheresis and marrow collection center, and donor center.

The NMDP is a nonprofit organization that maintains a registry of over 5 million potential volunteer blood stem cell donors and more than 28,000 cord blood units. The NMDP has facilitated more than 16,000 transplants throughout the world for patients that do not have a match within their own family.

In addition to maintaining the registry of donors, the NMDP assists with coordination of transplant activities. The organization also performs scientific research and provides counseling and educational materials. Its Office of Patient Advocacy educates patients on financial options available to them to obtaining an unrelated donor stem cell transplant. For additional information about the donor search process, please call Deborah Liney at (617) 632-2434.

Become a donor

Your generosity as a bone marrow or stem cell donor could help a patient win his or her battle with cancer. Stem cell and bone marrow transplantation provide a potential cure for patients with primary bone marrow failure or with malignancies of the bone marrow and lymph nodes, such as leukemia and lymphomas.

If you are in good health, between the ages of 18 and 60, and would like to become a potential donor, please contact:

The National Marrow Donor Program at DF/BWCC
Phone: (617) 632-2561 or (866) 875-DFCI (3324)
E-mail: NMDPDonor@dfci.harvard.edu

A Family Member's View

"We are so grateful to our donor. Someone who doesn't know us was willing to go through an uncomfortable and inconvenient procedure just to give my wife a chance. I am overwhelmed by that generosity and how it is simply a gift from the heart. Because of this, my wife might have the chance to live. What is more amazing than that?"
- Husband of reduced-intensity transplant patient