Every day, people battling blood cancers and severe blood disorders are searching for a lifeline—a second chance that often depends on finding a matching stem cell donor. Blood stem cell donation is one of the most profound ways to offer hope, yet around the world, not everyone has the same shot at survival. Here is why, some countries have built incredible support networks to make a strong global blood stem cell donor registry, however, other countries like India, are still catching up, leaving too many patients waiting and vulnerable.
The global picture
While countries such as Germany (19 per cent) and the United States of America (5 per cent)1 have millions of registered donors. Only 0.09 per cent of Indian population of the relevant age is registered as blood stem cell donor. This disproportionately low figure represents a massive donor gap, especially in a country with a rising burden of blood cancers and blood disorders.2
India’s growing need
More than 108,000 people in India are diagnosed with blood cancer every year3, and over 10,000 children are born with thalassemia major. For many of these patients, a blood stem cell transplant is their only hope. Children with thalassemia, require lifelong blood transfusions until they can undergo a successful transplant.
India’s genetic diversity should be our strength. But when it comes to HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) matching—the crucial factor in stem cell transplants—it makes finding a donor even more complex. A limited registry and lack of donor availability decreases the chances of finding the right match within India, forcing patients to rely on international registries. This means patients are likely to wait for months, sometimes years. Here’s the harsh reality, for many patients, that’s time they simply do not have.
The challenge of finding a match
For a blood donation process matching blood type is enough, similarly blood stem cell transplants demand a near-perfect HLA match, ideally 10 out of 10 markers. While family members can sometimes be donors, only about 30 per cent of patients find a match within their families. For the remaining, unrelated donors from registries are their best chance4.
Bridging the gap
India needs a strategic, and large-scale effort to bridge this gap. Increasing the available blood stem cell donor registry pool is essential, and this requires a multifaceted approach:
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Awareness and education: Dispelling myths around blood stem cell donation must be done through targeted campaigns, reaching metros, tier-2, tier-3 cities, and rural regions.
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Institutional support: Educational institutes like college and universities, and healthcare institutions are the hubs where most of the eligible potential donors are present, so conducting an awareness session and registration drive fits rightly.
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Partnerships: Associating with corporates, and social influencers, for example can help bring the conversation into mainstream spaces.
Organisations like ours have made efforts to spread awareness among the masses through donor registration drives online and offline, partnering with corporates, educational institutes, potential influencers, and participating in social events, to name a few.
A call to action
Addressing the blood stem cell donor registry gap is not just about statistics; it is about lives. With greater awareness and participation, India can form a robust registry pool and stand together among other countries on the global stage and to give as many blood cancer and blood disorders patients a second chance at life!
2 Source: WMDA as of November 2023
3 Globocan 2020
4 Source: DKMS