Working in partnership to support patients with blood cancer

Blood cancers are the third most common cause of cancer death in the UK. At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, a team of nurses based in the Haematology Department care all year round for people diagnosed with a range of serious conditions - including patients with blood cancers - who need a stem cell transplant from a donor to provide a second chance at life.

Now this work, led by Transplant Consultant Dr Asif Khan and Bone Marrow Transplant Clinical Nurse Specialist Gabriella Harwood, is being supported by DKMS – the blood cancer charity which encourages more people to join the stem cell donor register, and works toward ensuring everyone has equal access to a stem cell transplant if they need one.

DKMS has supplied Gabriella and colleagues with information for patients and their families following diagnosis with a blood cancer or disorder requiring a stem cell transplant, explaining how the charity can support them. They have also provided leaflets encouraging people to find out more about the quick and simple process of registering as a potential stem cell donor, helping them to make an informed choice about signing up.

“Anyone has the potential be become a lifesaver,” explains Gabriella. “Many patients who are diagnosed with a blood cancer or blood disorder find that chemotherapy and radiotherapy alone is not enough – they need a stem cell transplant. However, with so few people registered as stem cell donors, there’s no guarantee of finding a match, which is heartbreaking.  

“The biggest win of my career would be to get people talking about stem cell donation in the same way they talk about giving blood. The more it is spoken about, the more myths and fears will be dispelled, the more people will sign up to the register, and the more likely we’ll be to find matches for our patients, ultimately giving them more time to live their lives with the people they love. I hope by working with DKMS we can not only start that conversation but encourage others to as well.”

There’s an urgent need for more people to sign up as donors, as at any one time there are around 2,000 people in the UK in need of a stem cell transplant, but currently only 2.8% of the eligible population in England are signed up with DKMS as potential donors.

Joining the stem cell donor register can be done in minutes – just three simple mouth swabs and some quick health questions. If you are called up to donate, advances in medical technology mean that in nine out of ten cases it’s a simple, outpatient procedure similar to donating blood platelets.

Stem cell transplant patients requiring cells from an unrelated donor are currently supported at the Royal Berkshire Hospital before and after their transplants, which are completed by NHS colleagues at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford. Meanwhile, the Royal Berkshire Hospital completes around 15 ‘autograft’ transplants (using the patient’s own stem cells) annually, and supports over 50 patients each year who require joint care with Oxford pre- and post-transplant and during the workup phase, which ensures they are fit for transplant.

DKMS spokesperson Deborah Hyde said: “Gabriella and her colleagues at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust are at the forefront of caring for patients with blood cancer and blood disorders, and they have a vital role to play in raising awareness of the urgent need for more people to register as potential stem cell donors, especially from currently under-represented communities. DKMS UK is delighted to be supporting them in their invaluable work.”

Anyone aged 17 – 55 years who is in general good health can register to receive a mouth swab kit online at: www.dkms.org.uk/register

·        If you’re not eligible to sign up, there are lots of other ways you can support DKMS in eliminating blood cancer:  Get involved | DKMS