LAKSHMI L LUND
COIMBATORE/ VISHAKHAPATNAM, DEC 2
Healthcare experts lamented that while blood donation and organ donation have got wide acceptance from people, blood stem cell donation still suffers from various barriers, including a lack of awareness. Used to treat blood cancer, thalassemia, and other blood-related disorders, stem cell transplantation can be the only chance at life for some patients.
Only when enough awareness about blood stem cell donation is created and the myths that surround it are clarified, more number of potential people will come forward and become active donors, they added.
Blood stem cells
Blood stem cells are produced in the bone marrow and are found in the blood. Some diseases and disorders affect the proper functioning of the bone marrow, which impacts the production of blood stem cells and can result in the death of the patient. For such life-threatening conditions, blood stem cell transplantation becomes the saving grace for the patient.
Blood stem cell transplant, which takes place after matching the stem cells Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) typing of the recipient with the donor, is a life-saving process for children and adults who are suffering from fatal blood disorders. However, only a few thousand of them can find the right match and get a new lease of life since the probability of finding a matched donor is one in 1,000 to one in a million. One of the reasons for a huge gap between donor and recipient in a country with a population of over a billion is the sheer lack of awareness about blood stem cell donation. Myths that surround the process also prevent potential people from becoming donors.
DATRI, an NGO plays Good Samaritan
Unlike for blood, skin, eye, and vital organ donation, where a government registry is maintained and updated, for blood stem cell donation in India, currently there is no active government registry. This adds to the worry of patients who need to find a blood stem cell donor. As if to make up for this and to bridge this demand-supply gap, which is remarkably huge, a few non-government organisations are actively working towards this cause.
With more than four-and-a-half lakh registered donors, DATRI (meaning ‘donor’ in Sanskrit) is one of India’s largest blood stem cell donor registry having a pan-India footprint which has facilitated hundreds of donations and by doing so the donors have given more than 7,200 recipients, including children, a new lease of life.
“A majority of times, it becomes increasingly difficult and impossible for a patient to find a match within the family. Plus, the absence of a government blood stem cell registry, leaves patients with no other choice but to reach out to organisations who are working in helping recipients find potential donors.” a source from DATRI in Visakhapatnam shared with www.navjeevanexpress.com
Throwing more light on this, Dr P Guhan, Director and Consultant Medical Oncologist, Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Oncology and Research in Coimbatore said, “It took a lot of effort and many years for the government of India to come up with a cancer registry. Currently, several states in our country, including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana maintain a cancer registry to record patient recovery, mortality among other cancer-related data. The government should consider working in partnership with private hospitals and non-profit organisations in initiating and creating a blood stem cell registry.”
Only when enough awareness about blood stem cell donation is created and the myths that surround it are clarified, will more number of potential people come forward and become active donors. Steps involved in the process besides the cost could be the reasons for the absence of a public blood stem cell registry.
Guidelines for blood stem cell donation
To potentially save a life, the donor has to register online with a blood stem cell registry Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) donation method is the most commonly used method to extract blood stem cells. In the PBSC method blood stem cells are collected from the blood veins.
The PBSC donation process
- PBSC donation is a non-surgical procedure also called apheresis. It is a nearly painless process where the donor is treated as an out-patient.
- Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (GCSF) is administered in form of an injection to the patient.
- This glycoprotein acts as a catalyst that stimulates the bone marrow to produce blood stem cells and release them back into the bloodstream.
- Before the donation, the GCSF injection is administered into the donor’s bloodstream for five days.
- On the day of the process, the donor undergoes a health check-up, and the process of donating blood stem cells is initiated.
- As per the process, the blood that is removed through one needle from one arm of the patient, is passed through a machine that filters and collects only the blood stem cells. Simultaneously, the remaining blood is sent back to the donor’s body through another needle which is injected into the other arm of the patient.
- Generally, the process of donating blood stem cells is completed in one sitting with a duration of five to eight hours.
- Before the donated blood stem cells are used, a Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) matching of the patient and the donor are done. Only if the match is 10/10, the blood stem cell process transplantation is initiated.
- Both donor and recipient are put on medical advice which they strictly have to adhere to prior, and post the transplant process.
- Quick facts about blood stem cell donation one must be aware of anyone who is between 18 and 50 years old can register as a donor.
- Depending on how closely the HLA matches between the donor and the patient, blood stem cell transplantation is performed.
- Chances of finding a match within a family are 30% or less.
- The cost of the blood stem cell transplantation process runs into many lakhs. This makes it difficult for all to afford it. Organisations who work on creating a blood stem cell registry are also involved in fund-raising projects to help needy patients to undergo the blood stem cell transplantation process.
- Medical experts echo the opinion that both public and private health insurance companies must introduce a comprehensive stem cell insurance package.
- Insurance companies can also work on an option to introduce the blood stem cell transplant clause in existing insurance policies by increasing the insurance premium amount. This will ease the financial burden of the medical treatment on the patients and can help in making blood stem cell transplant accessible to a larger section of our Indian population.
- Those who have been affected with COVID-19 or are living near COVID-19 patients can also register as blood stem cell donors.
- Also, individuals who have been cured of COVID-19 can register as donors. However, such donors will be cleared to donate after passing the stipulated medical tests.
Blood stem cell transplantation success story
A daily wage labour, R. Marimuthu (52), from Coimbatore requested mercy killing for his four-and-a-half-year old son, M. Kaviraj who was suffering from thalassemia. Diagnosed with the condition in 2015, the couple ran out of funds to treat their only son who was born after 13 years of being married. Knowing well that a blood stem cell transplant is the only option to cure his son, the father told the doctors he could not afford it. It was at this juncture in 2018 that the doctors at a Chennai-based hospital introduced him to DATRI and through the organisation, Marimuthu found a blood stem cell donor for his son. The transplantation process was sponsored by DATRI. Kaviraj, who is now seven-years-old is completely cured of thalassemia.
Employed at a private bank then, Kiranmai Srinija, 22, a native of Visakhapatnam was initially skeptical about donating her blood stem cells. She went against the wishes of her family and is more than happy that her kind deed saved the life of a child. Moved by the work of the organisation, Kiranmai, gave up her job and is currently involved full time with DATRI.
