Younger donors have fewer health complications and are often more readily available to donate as a result. Of course, people older than 35 make good donors too, and that's why donors are being accepted up to 45 years old and potential donors are asked to stay on the registry until they are 60.
Be The Match participates in the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA), an organization that facilitates international donation and transplantation, and promotes the interests of donors. WMDA standards require donor registries to stipulate an upper age limit not to exceed 60 years.
Bone marrow transplantation has a long track record of success for treating certain cancers. While older age is no longer considered a barrier to receiving this treatment, making sure that it is right for you and that you're prepared for the transplant experience are vital parts of the decision-making process.
If your treatment included chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, you will not be able to donate. If you have had any other form of cancer, you will not be able to donate — no matter the length of time since treatment or recovery.
There is a small increase in the risk of complications from donations in older donors. There is also a slightly increased risk of blood disorders in older people. In addition, studies have shown that patients who receive donated cells from younger donors have a better chance for long-term survival.
What is the cut off age for being an adult marrow donor? Everyone on Be The Match Registry is critical to saving lives. Once you become a registry member, you are listed on the registry until the age of 61, unless you request to be removed from the registry before then.
Younger donors have fewer health complications and are often more readily available to donate as a result. Of course, people older than 35 make good donors too, and that's why donors are being accepted up to 45 years old and potential donors are asked to stay on the registry until they are 60.
They accept donors between the ages of 18 and 60. But because bone marrow transplant is most successful with younger donors, people ages 18 to 44 are preferred. Donors must be in excellent health. Certain diseases, medications, treatments and weight limits can exclude you from becoming a donor.
If you don't have a match in your family, your doctor will search the Be The Match Registry to find a matched unrelated donor or cord blood unit. Depending on your ethnic background, the chance of finding a match is between 29% and 79%.
Recovery from bone marrow and PBSC donation
Marrow and PBSC donors should expect to return to work, school and most other activities within 1 to 7 days. Your marrow will return to normal levels within a few weeks.
Donating stem cells or bone marrow to a relative
A brother or sister is most likely to be a match.
Some transplant centers set age limits. Some people also may not be eligible for transplant if they have other major health problems, such as serious heart, lung, liver, or kidney disease.
Medical guidelines for cellular therapy product donation (such as peripheral blood stem cells and bone marrow) include an assessment of body mass index (BMI), which is calculated from weight and height. There is not a minimum weight requirement.
People who meet certain criteria may be considered for bone marrow transplant. At Mayo Clinic, doctors will consider selected patients over 65 years of age, depending on their overall physical health.
Bone marrow donation
Bone marrow stem cells are collected from a section of the pelvic bone under general anesthesia. The most serious risk associated with donating bone marrow involves the use and effects of anesthesia during surgery. The surgery might cause tiredness, weakness, and mild back or hip pain.
As we get older, telomeres are gradually used up, and without them, cells can no longer reproduce. Doctors worry that marrow transplanted from a 70-year-old donor to a 20-year-old patient may eventually fail. Due to these factors, many countries have set a lower age limit for donors.
For unrelated people to be a 100% match, the chances are incredibly slim, and it often takes a very long time to find a match, if one can be found at all. This factor has been a limitation for this treatment option until now. Today, a 50% stem cell match is sufficient for treatment with a chance of full recovery.”
With local anesthesia, bone marrow aspiration, in particular, can cause brief, but sharp, pain. Many people choose to also have light sedation for additional pain relief. If you're anxious about pain, you may be given an IV medication so that you're either completely or partially sedated during the bone marrow exam.
Only 30 percent of patients who need a bone marrow transplant have a matching donor in their families. The remaining 70 percent must hope that a compatible stranger can be found using the national registry. At any given time, about 7,500 Americans are actively searching the national registry for an unrelated donor.
True or false: A bone marrow donor must be a family member of the person who needs the transplant. False.
Steps to take action
Book yourself in for a blood donation and ask about blood stem cell donation. You will need to scan the QR code in the donor centre, where you can join Australia's register of volunteer blood stem cell donors. Then, you can give a blood sample at the same time as your blood donation.
Both bone marrow and stem cells regenerate. So, it is possible for an individual to donate multiple times. It is recommended that ideally, one donor can donate up to 3 times.
A 2016 study of over 6,000 adults with AML found that people who received an autologous bone marrow transplant had a 5-year survival rate of 65%. For those who received an allogenic bone marrow transplant, it was 62%.
For bone marrow transplantation, a near-perfect match is required whereas for kidney transplantation, a lesser match can result in a successful, functioning transplant. For bone marrow transplantation, the blood group of the donor is not important.