However, finding a donor can be quite challenging.
\nThis Bone Marrow and Leukaemia Awareness Month (August 15 to October 15), residents are urged to become possible bone marrow stem cell donors.
\nProfessor Ernette du Toit, medical director and co-founder of the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR), said that leukaemia, cancer of the white cells, knows no limits and affects people of all ages and ethnicities.
\n\u201cSadly, it is the most common form of childhood cancer. Donors are a key component to saving lives, and that begins with you,\u201d she said.
\nLeukaemia patients are not the only ones in need of stem cell transplants. People with illnesses such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma (cancer of lymphatic system), bone marrow failure (severe aplastic anaemia) and some genetic blood and immune system disorders such as sickle cell anaemia also require bone marrow stem cell transplants.
\n\u201cThese illnesses can affect anyone. Although bone marrow transplants are not always successful, they often give someone their only chance of recovery. The SABMR\u2019s youngest patient was an infant just 10 months old,\u201d said du Toit.
\nAt present there are 70 000 donors on the SABMR. While it may seem like a lot, more donors are needed considering that a perfect match is required.
\nDu Toit added that there is a very large number of possible tissue types. The best chance of finding a match is within the patient\u2019s family.
\n\u201cThere is a 25 per cent chance of finding a matching sibling donor but with smaller family sizes and more diverse families, these odds are dropping. For the majority of patients, they will need to find a matching unrelated donor.
\n\u201cThis is where the SABMR comes in. We are the only medical facility in South Africa that conducts complex searches to identify life-saving donors,\u201d said du Toit.
\nThe chance of finding a matched unrelated donor is just 1 in 100 000. This is the average. For some with more common tissue types, chances may be better.
\n\u201cSadly, for some other patients, chances are much less,\u201d she said.
\nShe added that it is more likely to find a matching donor for a patient from the same ethnic group. This is however a greater challenge in some ethnic groups than in others.
\nFor example, there are only 4 500 potential donors on the registry who are black according to du Toit. She said this is a concern considering the population distribution in South Africa.
\n\u201cWhile it is possible to find a matching donor from a different ethnic group to the patient, it is less likely. It is just a matter of frequency.\u201d
\nThe SABMR often searches for perfectly matched donors worldwide.
\n\u201cDonors living in other countries are found for 75 per cent of patients in South Africa. This is made possible through the SABMR\u2019s collaboration with 67 registries worldwide, with 27 million registered donors. Our staff have travelled as far as Taiwan to collect these cells. This is somewhat of a \u2018military operation\u2019 to ensure that the cells reach our patients within 72 hours. While our staff collect the donated cells, our patients have their diseased bone marrow cells destroyed with chemotherapy. This leaves a window period of 72 hours during which the patient must receive the matched healthy cells.\u201d
\nThe SABMR has also identified several South African donors that have matched overseas patients.<\/p>\n
Fear of becoming a donor<\/b>
\nMany people fear signing up as potential donors because they believe the procedure to retrieve the stem cells involves a large needle being inserted into their bones.
\nThis is not the case. Stem cells are collected from the donor\u2019s blood, in a similar way that one would donate blood or platelets. Du Toit said most donors describe the process as uncomfortable but not painful.
\nIf you are on the registry and turn out to be a possible match, the following will happen:
\nYou will receive a call from the SABMR informing you that you have been identified as a potential match for a patient.
\nIf you are willing to proceed, the SABMR will arrange for you to undergo several additional blood tests to further establish the suitability of your bone marrow.<\/p>