FAQs & Donor Resources

Bone marrow is a spongy tissue found inside bones. The bone marrow in the breast bone, skull, hips, ribs, and spine contain stem cells which produce the body’s blood cells. These blood cells include:

• White blood cells which fight disease and infection
• Red blood cells which carry oxygen
• Platelets which enable the blood to clot

Bone marrow transplant is an accepted treatment for patients diagnosed with leukemia, certain immune system and genetic disorders.

For a list of conditions/diseases for which bone marrow or cord blood transplantation is an acceptable treatment modality, please contact us.

There are two methods for donating stem cells and each method has different risks associated:

1. Extraction of the stem cells from the bone marrow under general anaesthetic

The risks for donating bone marrow are the same as those involved in any general anaesthetic. More than 3000 bone marrow transplants are performed throughout the world each year. The chance of a serious complication is very low but some people may experience nausea and/or local pain and discomfort for several days.

2. Collection of the stem cells from the circulating blood stream

A naturally occurring hormone G-CSF is injected under the skin each day for four days to mobilise the stem cells out of the bone marrow and into the circulating blood stream. G-CSF is usually well tolerated, although the donor may experience bone pain and some flu-like symptoms during the course of the injections, which usually respond to paracetamol. As yet no significant long term side effects have been observed with prolonged administration of G-CSF to patients but the long term effects of short treatments in normal donors is unknown.

If you are chosen to donate stem cells for a patient you will be asked to visit a medical specialist who will check your fitness to donate in detail. The specialist will be a physician with a detailed knowledge of stem cells donation. In Australia, donation occurs in one of the major hospitals in the capital cities. You would not be required to travel interstate or overseas.

Your Donor Support Coordinator can pass on a card or letter from you for the patient via the ABMDR national office provided you have not included any identifying details.

There are some registries that due to national legislation do not allow any correspondence or contact between donor and patient.

If you would like to release any of your personal contact details to the patient or their family, you need to sign a consent form authorising the release of your personal information. If both the donor and the patient agree to release their details, each of you will receive these details and can act on them or not as you wish.

To learn more about contacting the patient, please visit.

• Time to provide additional blood samples if needed
• Time to be assessed by a medical professional
• Time to donate if you are cleared

There are two ways you can donate: bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC).

The patient’s doctor will base their preference on the kind of treatment that works better for the patient. The medical specialist looking after you will assess the donation method that is best for you. However, the final decision is up to you.

For more information about donation methods, go to: Donor Information