Bone marrow (stem cell) donation: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

P Bone marrow is the soft, fatty tissue inside your bones. Bone marrow contains stem cells, which are immature cells that become blood cells.
P People with life-threatening diseases, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma can be treated with a bone marrow transplant. This is now often called a stem cell transplant. For this type of treatment, bone marrow is collected from a donor. Sometimes, people can donate their own bone marrow.
P Bone marrow donation can be done either by collecting a donor's bone marrow surgically, or by removing stem cells from a donor's blood.

T Types of Bone Marrow Donation
P There are two types of bone marrow donation:
- Autologous bone marrow transplant is when people donate their own bone marrow. "Auto" means self.
- Allogenic bone marrow transplant is when another person donates bone marrow. "Allo" means other.
P With an allogenic transplant, the donor's genes must at least partly match the person's genes. A brother or sister is most likely to be a good match. Sometimes parents, children, and other relatives are good matches. But only about 30% of people who need a bone marrow transplant can find a matching donor in their own family.

T Bone Marrow Registries
P The 70% of people who do NOT have a relative who is a good match may be able to find one through a bone marrow registry. The largest one is called Be the Match (www.bethematch.org). It registers people who would be willing to donate bone marrow and stores their information in a database. Doctors can then use the registry to find a matching donor for a person who needs a bone marrow transplant.
P How to Join a Bone Marrow Registry
P To be listed in a bone marrow donation registry, a person must be:
- Between the ages of 18 and 60
- Healthy and not pregnant
P People can register online or at a local donor registry drive. Those between the ages of 45 to 60 must join online. The local, in-person drives only accept donors who are younger than age 45. Their stem cells are more likely to help patients than stem cells from older people.
P People who register must either:
- Use a cotton swab to take a sample of cells from the inside of their cheek
- Give a small blood sample (about 1 tablespoon or 15 milliliters)
P The cells or blood is then tested for special proteins, called human leukocytes antigens (HLA). HLAs help your infection-fighting system (immune system) tell the difference between body tissue and substances that are not from your own body.

T Bone Marrow Matching
P Bone marrow transplants work best if the HLAs from the donor and the patient are a close match. If a donor's HLAs match well with a person who needs a transplant, the donor must give a new blood sample to confirm the match. Then, a counselor meets with the donor to discuss the bone marrow donation process.

T What Happens During a Bone Marrow Donation
P Donor stem cells can be collected in two ways.
P Peripheral blood stem cell collection. Most donor stem cells are collected through a process called leukapheresis.
- First, the donor is given 5 days of shots to help stem cells move from the bone marrow into the blood.
- During the collection, blood is removed from the donor through a line in a vein (IV). The part of white blood cells that contains stem cells is then separated in a machine and removed to be later given to the recipient.
- The red blood cells are returned to the donor through an IV in the other arm.
P This procedure takes about 3 hours. Side effects include:
- Headaches
- Sore bones
- Discomfort from needles in the arms
P Bone marrow harvest. This minor surgery is done under general anesthesia. This means the donor will be asleep and pain-free during the procedure. The bone marrow is removed from the back of your pelvic bones. The process takes about an hour.
P After a bone marrow harvest, the donor stays in the hospital until they're fully awake and can eat and drink. Side effects include:
- Nausea
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Bruising or discomfort in the lower back
P You can resume normal activity in about a week.
P There are very few risks for the donor and no lasting health effects. Your body will replace the donated bone marrow in about 4 to 6 weeks.

T Alternative Names
P Stem cell transplant - donation; Allogeneic donation; Leukemia - bone marrow donation; Lymphoma - bone marrow donation; Myeloma - bone marrow donation

T References
P American Cancer Society. Stem Cell Transplant for Cancer. Cancer.org web site. Updated May 11, 2016. www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/treatment-types/stem-cell-transplant.html. Accessed September 22, 2016.
P Dey BR, Spitzer TR. Haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation. In: Hoffman R, Benz EJ Jr., Silberstein LE, Heslop HE, Weitz JI, Anastasi J, eds. Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2013:chap 107.
P National Cancer Institute. Blood-Forming Stem Cell Transplants. Updated August 12, 2013. www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/stem-cell-transplant/stem-cell-fact-sheet. Accessed October 22, 2016.

T Review Date 8/15/2016
P Updated by: Todd Gersten, MD, Hematology/Oncology, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, Wellington, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

T Related MedlinePlus Health Topics
- Bone Marrow Transplantation
- Stem Cells

