Donor appeal: Wigan people urged to join stem cell register

The call came as it reveals, as part of a new campaign, that it now needs 130 people from the region to sign up every month – 30 every week - to increase the odds of finding a lifesaving stem cell donor for every patient who needs one.

An increased number of around 30,000 new signups nationally, the equivalent of 1,524 in Greater Manchester, are now needed each year to boost the number of UK donors, to find matches for the steadily rising number of stem cell transplants taking place in the UK every year and to reduce the reliance on expensive stem cell imports.

Importing stem cells from abroad costs the NHS typically 50 to 100 per cent more than collecting them from UK donors.

Just 0.4 per cent of the population of Greater Manchester are registered as potential stem cell donors through the NHS and there have been 44 stem cell donations made by Greater Manchester residents, through the NHS, in the last five years, saving or improving an average of nine lives every year.

An increased number of people on the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry will see the number of donations rise and even more lives helped or saved.

The joining criteria has also changed to help boost recruitment, to now include all women aged 17 to 40. The register previously only accepted men aged 17 to 40 and women within the same age range who are of Asian or Black heritage or other mixed ethnicity.

The change has been made because growing evidence has shown that age, rather than sex, is a more significant factor in the health and efficacy of stem cells.

Younger donors see better transplant outcomes.

Stem cell transplants are used to treat a number of diseases, including some forms of leukaemia and for many people they are the only chance of a cure.

Stem cells can be found in the bone marrow – a soft, spongy tissue at the centre of certain bones – and can produce all essential blood cells, including red and white cells and platelets.

For a successful stem cell transplant, both donor and recipient need matching tissue types – known as human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type - and patients are more likely to match with donors of a similar ethnic heritage.

Patients of Asian and Black heritage, or from other mixed ethnicities are underrepresented on the register and are less likely to find a life-saving match, which is why women from these backgrounds have been able to sign up to the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry before now.

When a patient needs a stem cell transplant, a global register of potential donors is searched, to find a registrant with matching tissue types. The odds of finding a match are significantly increased as more people sign up to the various global registers.

The NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry recruits from blood donors, by taking an extra blood sample at a regular donation appointment and is encouraging those who want to become stem cell donors, to register to give blood. Those who cannot donate blood, may be eligible to join one of the other UK registries.

Retired lorry driver Frank Goodman, 77, received a stem cell transplant at the Manchester Royal Infirmary eight years ago, to treat acute myeloid leukaemia. He was told that without treatment, he would have a life expectancy of around six months.

He said: “Stem cell donation isn’t something that’s very well-known but it is something extremely important for those of us who have needed one or will need one – and for our families, too.

"It’s emotional knowing that but for the generosity of a stranger, I wouldn’t be here today and I wouldn’t be able to see my children and grandchildren grow up.

"I’m one of the lucky ones who had a match on the register, but not everyone gets that chance.

“I really do encourage as many people as possible to sign up to the register – you never know whose life you might save. It turns out my donor lives just down the road, in Stockport, so I have a Greater Mancunian to thank for my life – if you register, somebody else might, too.”

Peter Lewis, a 32-year-old dad of one, donated his stem cells to Frank in 2016.

He said: “I first learnt about stem cell donation at a regular blood donation appointment and I signed up straight away. It was only six months later – which I believe is very quickly – that I got the call to say I was a match for someone.

“Donating was so simple, not much different to giving blood. I was amazed at just how easy it was for me, when for my recipient, it’s life-changing. But it wasn’t until I received that first contact from Frank, some years later, that it really hit home just how much of a difference those few hours I’d spent donating had made.

“Knowing that I’d given him more time with his family – including his young grandchildren - was just incredible. And knowing that he was just down the road made it even more real. We’ve kept in touch all of these years and Frank is a good friend now – we’re bonded in a way that’s quite indescribable.

“I’d wholeheartedly recommend that everybody who can, joins the stem cell register – signing up is easy and if you are a match for somebody, you can quite literally save or change their life, through such a simple donation process. There really is nothing quite like it.”

Guy Parkes, Head of Stem Cell Donation and Transplantation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “We’ve launched this ambitious new campaign target, asking 1,500 Greater Manchester residents to join our stem cell register this year, to help find a match for the increasing number of people needing stem cell transplants and to reduce the country’s reliance on seeking donors from abroad, which can be expensive for the NHS.

“There is always a need for more stem cell donors and so we’re thrilled to now be able to welcome all women aged 17 – 40 to the NHS Stem Cell Donor Registry, too.

“Growing research has shown that donor age is an important factor when it comes to transplants, so we’re urging everybody under 40, male or female, to think about signing up.

“Registering to be a potential stem cell donor through NHS Blood and Transplant is really easy– once you’re signed up, there’s nothing to do, until you are found as a match and then donation is safe and easy. We would urge all eligible blood donors to say yes to stem cell donation and ask about signing up to the register at their next appointment – your stem cells could help to save a life.”

Fiona Dignan, Consultant Haematologist at Manchester Royal Infirmary, said: "It is always great to hear from our patients, especially Frank and Peter who have created an incredible bond following a stem cell transplant.

“Sadly, Leukaemia is a life-threatening cancer that requires intensive treatment. However, it can be cured and our department undertakes about 160 stem cell transplants a year for patients with leukaemia, and other blood conditions across the North West and beyond.

“Joining the stem cell donor registry is instrumental in increasing the number of donors so that life-saving transplants can be more accessible for our patients and will help to cure more people".