Every 16 minutes, a person in Germany receives a diagnosis of leukemia. If chemotherapy or radiation is unsuccessful, a stem cell or bone marrow transplant is often the last chance for patients. For about one third of patients, a donation from the family is an option, but often an outside donor is needed, who can … Saving Leukemia Patients with a Stem Cell Donation
Definition Stem cell donation is a procedure used in leukemia (blood cancer) in which stem cells from a healthy donor are transferred to the patient to take over the production of healthy blood cells in the future. Before this can happen, the stem cells must be obtained from the donor’s body. Procedure of stem cell … Donation of stem cells
Risk for the donor Despite partially trivializing media advertising, some risks should be considered when donating stem cells. Bone marrow aspiration is a surgical procedure. Allergic reactions to the anaesthetic can occur, and there can be severe bleeding when the bone marrow is punctured in the iliac crest. Irritation or injury of nerve tracts may … Risk for the donor | Donation of stem cells
Side effects Stem cell donation has some side effects for both the donor and the recipient. During the medicinal stem cell flushing, the donor is injected with a drug called G-CSF, which is intended to flush the stem cells into the peripheral bloodstream. After drug administration, flu-like symptoms and bone pain, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting … Side effects | Donation of stem cells
Costs of stem cell transplantation The costs for a typing are about 40 EUR, which are financed by the DKMS through donations. Every potential donor can take over the typing financially by himself and make this a tax deductible donation. The complete stem cell collection including transplantation is very expensive. Thus, about 100,000 EUR must … Costs of stem cell transplantation | Donation of stem cells
Possible complications The risk for the donor in the course of a bone marrow donation is low and, in the case of classic bone marrow donation, is largely the anaesthetic risk that every anaesthetic performed involves. The insufficient differentiation between bone marrow and spinal cord is widespread. Since the spinal cord plays no role at … Possible complications | Bone Marrow Donation
Definition People who can benefit from a bone marrow donation are patients with leukemia, also known generally as blood cancer, such as acute myeloid leukemia or acute lymphocytic leukemia. In the course of bone marrow donation, blood stem cells (hematopoietic stem cells) are passed on. Their location is primarily in the bone marrow, where the … Bone Marrow Donation
Bone Marrow Donation For the allogeneic transplantation just described, people are needed who agree to donate bone marrow. In the search for a suitable bone marrow donor, one can reach the goal in three different ways. The highest probability of finding a suitable donor is among siblings, it is about 25%. This type of search … Bone Marrow Donation | Bone Marrow Donation
What if a potential donor is tissue compatible? If the tissue characteristics of the registered person match those of an affected person, the German Bone Marrow Donor Center (DKMS) contacts the donor. The further procedure includes a health check and a renewed HLA typing, the so-called confirmatory typing (CT). The health questionnaire sent out serves … What if a potential donor is tissue compatible? | Bone Marrow Donation
Bone marrow donation procedure The required hematopoietic stem cells are primarily located in the iliac crest. Currently, there are two ways to obtain the desired hematopoietic stem cells. Here, a peripheral collection of hematopoietic stem cells and the classic bone marrow donation have to be distinguished from each other. As a rule, a donor must … Bone marrow donation procedure | Bone Marrow Donation
