Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Becoming a donor requires a time commitment. Before you donate, there are several steps to make sure you are the best donor for the patient. These steps include an information session to provide resources to help you make your decision to donate, as well as appointments for additional blood tests and a physical exam. The amount of time for the actual donation depends on the donation procedure.

The typical time commitment for the donation process is 20-30 hours of your time spread out over a four-to six-week period. This does not include travel time, which is defined by air travel and staying overnight in a hotel. Most donors will travel during the donation process (donors will not be responsible for travel costs). Bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation require about the same total time commitment.

To learn more, see Donating Marrow.
 

Donors on the registry* may be asked to donate bone marrow or PBSC for any patient in need.

• Bone marrow donation is a surgical procedure done under general or regional anesthesia in the hospital. While a donor receives anesthesia, doctors use needles to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of the pelvic bone.
• PBSC donation is a non-surgical procedure done in an outpatient clinic. PBSC donors receive daily injections of medications called filgrastims for five days leading up to the donation. These filgrastims increase the number of blood-forming cells in the bloodstream. Then, the cells are collected through a process called apheresis. During apheresis a donor's blood is removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned to the donor through the other arm.

When you join the registry, you agree to donate by either method. The patient's doctor will ask for either bone marrow or PBSC, depending upon what's best for the patient.

Learn more about marrow and PBSC donation at Donating Marrow.

*The registry of the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program, also called the NMDP Registry^SM, is a listing of potential marrow donors and donated cord blood units. The registry is operated under Federal contracts by the National Marrow Donor Program® d/b/a NMDP^SM.
 

Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation is a way to collect blood-forming cells for transplantation. The same blood-forming cells (sometimes called blood stem cells) that can be donated from the bone marrow are also found in the circulating (peripheral) blood. Before donation, a donor takes injections of drugs called filgrastims to move more blood-forming cells out of the marrow and into the bloodstream. Then the donor's blood is removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned to the donor through the other arm. This process is similar to donating plasma.

Learn more about PBSC donation  
 

Donating PBSC involves two steps: receiving injections of filgrastims and making the donation.

1. Receiving filgrastims injections: To move more blood-forming cells from your bone marrow to your bloodstream, you will receive filgrastims, a drug given by injection each day for five days before the donation. The first injection may be given at a donor center or medical clinic. You may receive injections on days two, three and four at your place of work, your home, at a donor center or at a medical clinic. On the fifth day, you will receive your final dose of filgrastims, and then donate your blood cells at the donor center or hospital outpatient unit.
2. Donating the cells: PBSC donation is done through a process called apheresis, which is similar to donating plasma. During apheresis, a needle will be placed into each of your arms. Blood will be removed from a vein in one arm and passed through tubing into a blood cell separator machine. The machine collects blood-forming cells, platelets and some white blood cells. Plasma and red blood cells are returned to your body through the other arm. All the tubing used in the machine is sterile and is used only once for your donation. If only one donation is done, it may take up to eight hours. If two donations are done on separate days, each collection will take four to six hours.

What is the PBSC donation process like video
 

The NMDP is studying peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donations under a clinical research study reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The study is investigating whether blood-forming cells from the peripheral blood can be used as effectively as blood-forming cells from bone marrow for unrelated donor transplantation. A clinical research study has a written set of instructions for how a donation will be carried out. It is an important scientific way to evaluate the PBSC donation process and the donated product's effectiveness.

*The registry of the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program, also called the NMDP Registry^SM, is a listing of potential marrow donors and donated cord blood units. The registry is operated under Federal contracts by the National Marrow Donor Program® d/b/a NMDP.
 

PBSC donors may experience headache or bone pain and muscle aches, similar to a cold or the flu, for several days before collection. These are side effects of filgrastims injections that disappear shortly after donation. Other common side effects are nausea, trouble sleeping, and tiredness. Less than 1 percent (0.6%) of donors experience serious side effects from filgrastims.

The PBSC donation procedure can also have side effects. Some donors experience tingling around the mouth, fingers and toes and mild muscle cramps. This is caused by the anti-coagulant (blood thinner) used in the apheresis procedure. These symptoms are easily treated with calcium replacement or by slowing down the procedure. Other common side effects include bruising at the needle site, chills and a decrease in the blood platelet count.
 

Yes, however, fewer than 1% of PBSC donors experience a serious side effect from the donation process. 

PBSC donation may require placing a central venous line if you do not have suitable veins in your arm. A central line is a sterile tube that is inserted into one of the larger veins: the femoral vein, internal jugular vein, or subclavian vein. Based on the experience of the NMDP, 19% of women and 3% of men require a central line. The risk of serious complications from using a central line is small. A central line will be placed only with your consent after you have received information about the possible risks.

Another potential risk is associated with filgrastims injections. Though filgrastims are commonly used to treat cancer patients, using filgrastims in healthy donors is fairly new. Therefore, no data are yet available about the long-term safety. NMDP began using filgrastims to aid in transplants in the 1990s. Since then, no NMDP donors have reported any long-term complications from filgrastims injections.

*The registry of the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program, also called the NMDP Registry^SM, is a listing of potential marrow donors and donated cord blood units. The registry is operated under Federal contracts by the National Marrow Donor Program® d/b/a NMDP^SM.

The PBSC donation procedure is done in a blood center or hospital outpatient clinic.

Before the donation, you will receive five days of filgrastims injections. The first must be given at a donor center or medical clinic, and the fifth will be given at the location where you will undergo the donation procedure. The injections on days two through four may be given at your place of work, your home, at the donor center or a medical clinic.

As a donor on the NMDP Registry^SM* , you are covered by a donor life, disability, and medical insurance policy for complications directly related to your donation.

For your safety, the NMDP has extensive contracts with health care organizations and doctors who are experts in bone marrow, blood cell transplants, and medical care.

Learn about the Donor Advocacy Program.

*The registry of the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program, also called the NMDP Registry^SM, is a listing of potential marrow donors and donated cord blood units. The registry is operated under Federal contracts by the National Marrow Donor Program® d/b/a NMDP^SM.
 

Learn more about how to donate bone marrow or PBSC.