Finding A Match
The search process is activated immediately BMDP receives a request for the transplant centre containing the details of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) markers of the patient. These HLA markers are found in almost every cell of the body and are used to identify a matching donor for each patient. The new blood stem cells can be donated from someone else – either from an adult donor’s blood or bone marrow or from umbilical cord.
Preliminary Search Request Received From Transplant Centre
Once your medical team decides that a bone marrow transplant is the best treatment for a patient, they will usually check to see if there is a suitable donor among any brothers and sisters with the same parents. This will mean checking the HLA markers of each sibling and checking to see if any of them share the same tissue type as the patient. For any transplant to be successful, it is crucial for the tissue type of both individuals to be a full match. With our typically small families, less than one in three patients can find this sibling match. The next step is to send a search request to the BMDP with the tissue type of the patient and we will then search the local donor register to see if we can identify a match among the volunteer donors who have signed up. We can only activate a search in response to a request from one of the transplant centres and all the results are forwarded to the medical teams in order for them to select and activate the best match for each individual patient. If no match can be identified locally, BMDP will automatically extend the search around the world through a consolidated global database of volunteer donors. It is important to know that the patient and their family do not need to contact friends and supporters in other countries to try to initiate a donor search.
Activating A Potential Donor
Once a matching donor with the same markers as the patient is identified in the database, your medical team will request a “Verification Typing” (VT). BMDP will then contact the donor and collect a small blood sample in order to carry out a second higher resolution typing of their HLA. This is to make sure that this person is indeed a perfect match and sometimes the doctor may request to CT multiple donors especially if the initial search results show a number of similar matches. The VT results will be forwarded to your doctor who is the final decision maker as to which donor will be selected as the best option for the patient.
Going Through To A Transplant
Once the results from the CT are confirmed with a 100% match between the patient and donor, BMDP will manage everything else to carrying out a Donor Workup, a full medical checkup conducted by an independent doctor for the donor, to couriering your donor’s stem cells to ensure that it will reach you in time for your scheduled transplant.
Preparing For Transplant
For a patient receiving the transplant, the following will occur in advance of the procedure:
- Prior to the transplant, the bone marrow transplant team will complete an extensive evaluation. All other treatment options are discussed and evaluated for risk versus benefit.
- A complete medical history and physical examination are performed, including multiple tests to evaluate the patient's blood and organ functions (for example, heart, kidney, liver, and lungs).
- A patient will often come into the transplant centre up to 10 days prior to transplant for hydration, evaluation, placement of the central venous line, and other preparations.
- Once a match for a patient needing a bone marrow transplant is found, stem cells will then be collected either by a bone marrow harvest or peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection.
Choosing A Transplant Centre
In Singapore, Bone Marrow Transplants are currently offered at six local hospitals and more details can be found on their respective websites.
Singapore General Hospital
- Haematology Centre
Outram Road Singapore 169608 Haematology Centre Block 7 Level 2
Tel: +65 6321 4722
___________________________________________________________________________________________National University Hospital
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital
___________________________________________________________________________________________Mount Elizabeth – Orchard
___________________________________________________________________________________________Mount Elizabeth – Novena Specialist Centre
- Parkway
Cancer Centre
38 Irrawaddy Road Level 5 #05-43, 50 to 55 Singapore 329563
Tel: +65 6684 5522
- Centre for Clinical Haematology
38 Irrawaddy Road #09-47/48/57 Singapore
329563
Tel: +65
6256 8836
___________________________________________________________________________________________Gleneagles Hospital Annexe Block
___________________________________________________________________________________________Raffles Hospital
