MYTH BUSTING

If a patient has a condition that affects their bone marrow or blood, then a stem cell transplant may be their best chance of survival. Doctors will give new, healthy stem cells to the patient via their bloodstream, where they begin to grow and create healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. 

• About 2,300 people in the UK need a stem cell transplant from a stranger every year 

• 90% of donors donate through PBSC (peripheral blood stem cell collection). This is a simple, outpatient procedure similar to giving blood 

• Currently 18% of the UK Anthony Nolan stem cell register is made up of young men, but they account for 55% of people called upon to donate. 

• Blood cancer is the fifth most common type of cancer in the UK and the third biggest cancer killer. It accounts for 9% of all new cases of cancer diagnosed in the UK. 

• It costs £40 to add each new donor to the register so we always need financial support 

• To join the Anthony Nolan register, you must be 16-30 and healthy. Anthony Nolan’s world-leading Research Institute has shown younger donors offer better survival rates for patients.