Survey shows widespread misconceptions about blood stem cell donation

Mon, Jul 04, 2011 12:00 CET

Embargoed until 00:01

6 July 2011

The charity Anthony Nolan is launching an urgent appeal for 10,000 young men to join its blood stem cell donor register. However, a ComRes survey into public awareness of blood stem cell (or bone marrow) donation has found that while 24% of people would definitely consider joining the stem cell register and most people (54%) would consider it, there is still widespread confusion about what it is and what donating entails.

A stem cell transplant can be the last hope of survival for a patient with blood cancer such as leukaemia or lymphoma.

Of those who wouldn’t join the register, or who were unsure about the decision, the survey found that 37% of people said they did not know enough about donating stem cells; around 1 in 3 (31%) feared that donating stem cells would be painful and 9% thought it would actually endanger their health. A sizeable minority, 19% of all people surveyed said they would not even consider joining the register.

In fact, more than 80% of donors today do so via a process where stem cells are taken from the blood stream. 25 year old Callum MacDonald-Wood from Leeds, who donated earlier this year, explained “Donating was a bit like giving blood. I was hooked up a machine that took the blood out from my arm and filtered it, then the blood went back into my body via my other arm. It took about four hours, but there was no pain. But I could have saved someone’s life.”

The survey found the fears about the pain of the process were most prevalent among young audiences, with 43% of 18 to 25 year olds citing this concern. However, young adults, and particularly young men, are the donors Anthony Nolan most needs to recruit.

This week the charity is launching an appeal to get 10,000 more young men to join its donor register. Over 80% of the donors selected by transplant centres are men, but this group constitutes less than half of the Anthony Nolan register.

Professor Charles Craddock, Anthony Nolan’s medical director and a consultant at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, explained: “When the transplant team look for a matching donor for their patient, they ideally want someone fit and healthy and as men are usually bigger we are likely to get more stem cells from them.

“There are a lot of misunderstandings about what it means to donate blood stem cells. But I’d urge young people, particularly young men, to find out more about the process – it’s very easy to join the register and if you are asked to donate, you could save someone’s life.”

Olly Rofix, a transplant recipient, who received a transplant in 2006, said, “I’d encourage every young man to join the register – without my donor, I’d be long gone. Joining the register is such an incredible thing to do and you could save someone’s life. Anthony Nolan can only find donors for half the people who need them, so more young male potential donors would help them save even more lives.”

To join the Anthony Nolan register, you just need to complete a medical questionnaire and give a small saliva sample. For more information visit www.anthonynolan.org or call 0303 303 0303.

Notes to editors

Please note that since July 2010, Anthony Nolan has dropped the word ‘Trust’ from its name.
The survey, conducted by ComRes for Anthony Nolan (formerly The Anthony Nolan Trust), was commissioned to investigate the reasons why people choose not to join the charity’s register, as Anthony Nolan can only find matching donors for half the people who need lifesaving transplants. ComRes surveyed 2,049 members of the public online between 21st and 25th June 2011. Data were weighted to be representative demographically of all GB adults. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Full data tables available at www.comres.co.uk.Anthony Nolan is a pioneering charity that saves the lives of people with blood cancer. Every day, we use our register to match remarkable donors willing to donate their blood stem cells, or bone marrow, to people they have never met who desperately need lifesaving transplants.
We provide two potentially lifesaving transplants every day, but for every patient we can help, there is another who sadly we can’t because no match can be found.
To join the register, you must be aged between 18 and 40, weigh more than 8 stone (51kg) and be in general good health. For more information on the donating process, or to apply to join the register, visit www.anthonynolan.org or call 0303 303 0303.
Men account for over 80% of donations, but make up less than half of the register. It costs £100 to register each new donor, so men of this group are particularly encouraged to join.
On average, 65 people a day in the UK are diagnosed with a blood cancer – that’s one person every 23 minutes.
There are nearly 1,600 people in the UK in need of a bone marrow transplant. This is usually their last chance of survival.
70% of patients will not find a matching donor from within their families.
80% of donations take place via PBSC (peripheral blood stem cell collection). This is an outpatient appointment and is similar to donating blood.
Most donors talk about how wonderful it is to have saved someone’s life.
All new donors are welcome but young males are particularly encouraged to join the register.

For more information, please contact Victoria Moffett on 020 7424 6619 / 07825 937920 or email victoria.moffett@anthonynolan.org