About stem cell donation
Leukemia
A stem cell transplantation can cure a patient with leukemia. Leukemia is a blood cancer where one of the many types of blood cells grows and replicates uncontrollably. Some types of leukemia are more aggressive than others, but all need to be treated for the patient to reach complete remission, which means there are no or undetectable numbers of cancer cells.
Stemcells
Stem cells are cells that can proliferate and differentiate into different cell types. For example, in our bone marrow, there are so-called hematopoietic stem cells. These cells divide many times and transform into all the cell types present in our blood. This includes red blood cells and various kinds of white blood cells. These white blood cells are an essential part of our immune system.
Transplantation
Most patients with leukemia are treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. This treatment destroys the leukemic cells but also, unfortunately, harms many healthy cells. When treated with a stem cell transplant, these patients receive stem cells from a donor, which, if successful, will produce all the cell types normally found in the blood, including those that are part of the immune system. After transplantation, it takes time for the immune system to become fully functional. A weakened immune system, although healing, makes patients very susceptible to diseases.
Finding the Best Matching Donor
Our immune system is excellent at recognizing pathogens like viruses and bacteria. However, this also implies that if donor cells and the recipient are not identical, the differences may activate the immune system such that the donor cells are recognized as ‘foreign’. This may trigger an immune response, which can even be life-threatening. For this reason, recipients often need to take medicine to suppress the immune system.
A significant trigger for the reactions is the difference in HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) molecules between donor and recipient cells. Variation in these molecules is so abundant that the chance that two unrelated individuals have identical HLA molecules is minimal. Therefore, finding a matching donor involves establishing the HLA typing of the recipient and searching the global database for the potential stem cell donor with the most identical HLA typing. This ‘best matching donor’ is then asked to donate stem cells, which can then be used to offer life-saving treatment to the patients.
Becoming a Donor
Although over 40 million people worldwide have joined the stem cell donor registry, there are still patients for whom the best match cannot be found among potential stem cell donors.
The ethnicity of the recipient influences the chance of finding a perfect donor. In addition, not all potential donors are available when needed due to health or other reasons. Therefore, we need more donors, especially from underrepresented backgrounds! Young adults are even more encouraged to register, as stem cells from younger donors enhance the chance of a good outcome. So register today at your local registry and ask your friends to join you!
You find your local registry at ‘Find your registry | WMDA’.
Donating stem cells is a small gesture, but when you are selected as a donor, your donation may save a life!
