A committed collaboration - The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017
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A committed
collaboration
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry
Annual Review of 2017
Olivier, donor
A committed
collaboration
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry
Annual Review of 2017
CONTENTS
BACKGROUND: 3
FOUNDING MEMBERS
INTRODUCTION: 5
THE STATE OF THE REGISTRY IN 2017
KEY STATISTICS 6
THE REGISTRY TODAY 8
PROVIDING UK DONORS 9
CORD, THE STORY SO FAR 10
ALIGNED REGISTRY 2017 DEMOGRAPHICS 11
STEM CELL PROVISION 2017 13
SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS IN STEM CELL 15
TRANSPLANTATION AND DONOR FACTORS
Anthony Nolan DKMS UK NHS Blood and Transplant Welsh Blood Service
2 Heathgate Place Ashburnham House Oak House, Ely Valley Road,
75-87 Agincourt Road Castle Row, Reeds Crescent Pontyclun,
London Horticultural Place, Watford, Hertfordshire Mid Glamorgan
NW3 2NU London W4 4JQ WD24 4QN CF72 9WB
anthonynolan.org dkms.org.uk nhsbt.nhs.uk welsh-blood.org.uk
0303 303 03 03 020 8747 5620 0300 123 23 23 0800 252 266
Registered charity no Registered charity no
803716/SC038827 1150056
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 2
1257CM
BACKGROUND FOUNDING MEMBERS
The fifth State of the Registry report has 1.4 MILLION PLUS Anthony Nolan
Founded in 1974, Anthony Nolan was the world’s first bone marrow
POTENTIAL STEM
been compiled by the Anthony Nolan and registry. Four decades later, the charity has expanded its reach,
saving the lives of people with blood cancer and blood disorders
CELL DONORS
NHS Stem Cell Registry. It highlights the vital ARE ON THE UK’S
across the UK and beyond. It does so with the help of groundbreaking
research, dedicated patient support, and a register of almost 680,000
work that was undertaken in 2017 towards ALIGNED REGISTRY
truly remarkable volunteer donors.
achieving our shared ambitions: recruiting DKMS UK
DKMS is an international charity supporting patients living with a blood
stem cell donors to the aligned registers, cancer, helping them find a matching blood stem cell donor and giving
them a second chance at life. DKMS UK was founded in 2013 as a
banking umbilical cord blood donations, registered UK Donor Centre and has recruited more than 330,000
potential lifesavers to the UK register. Those aged between 17-55 and
and providing donated stem cells to those in general good health can register online for a home swab kit at
www.dkms.org.uk
in need of a lifesaving transplant. NHS Blood and Transplant
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is a Special Health Authority,
responsible for providing a safe and reliable supply of blood, blood
products and expertise to hospitals in England; for increasing the
number of organs available for transplant in the UK; and for the
provision of tissues and stem cells to the NHS. The British Bone Marrow
Registry is a division of NHS Blood and Transplant. It holds details of
stem cell donors and cord blood donations from England, Scotland
and Northern Ireland. Almost 364,000 donors are registered.
Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry
Founded by the Welsh Blood Service in 1989 to provide high quality
donor typing, the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry has recruited
almost 65,000 blood donors to its panel – incredible people who
give hope and a second chance to patients throughout the world.
The Registry is proud to be working with donors, patients, transplant
physicians in Wales and centres across the globe.
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 3
FRANCIS’S STORY
Francis Mason joined the Anthony Nolan register in 2014.
Three years later, Christmas 2017 turned out to be
memorable when he heard he was a match for someone.
'I had seen both the amazing stories of successful donations and
the impact this has on people’s lives, as well as the incredibly sad
stories of those who hadn’t been able to find a matching donor
in time.
'I was really surprised when I got called up to say I was a match,
but I was also excited to be able to help someone. It never once
crossed my mind that this was something I didn’t want to do.
'I kept thinking about the recipient and wondering how they were
and what they were going through, and hoping that this would
give them the chance to lead a normal life again. I really hope
the transplant was a success for them.'
'I was really surprised when
I got called up to say I was a
match but I was also excited
to be able to help someone.
It never once crossed my
mind that this was something
I didn’t want to do.'
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 4
INTRODUCTION THE STATE OF THE REGISTRY 2017
The fifth annual review of the ALMOST 172,000 NEW Over the past year, we have recruited almost 172,000 people to
the aligned registry. There are now more male donors and more
POTENTIAL STEM
Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) potential donors available
for patients than ever before. Our track record in recruiting greater
CELL DONORS WERE numbers of younger people to the registry continues, reflecting
Registry represents a milestone MADE AVAILABLE their importance.
in the unique collaboration of the FOR TRANSPLANT The total number of people on the register at the end of 2017
stands at a remarkable pool of more than 1.4 million – a pleasing
partner organisations in stem PATIENTS IN THE UK increase from 2016. In just five years, we have jumped from nearly
AND WORLDWIDE 900,000 potential donors to add almost 550,000 more to the
cell provision. register.
THANKS TO
AWARENESS- Our cord blood banks continue to grow as we invest in programmes
Almost half a decade from the which provide an important source of stem cells for those in need
RAISING AND DONOR of a lifesaving transplant and for whom it can be more difficult to
alignment of the UK registers, RECRUITMENT.
find a match.
this report showcases the advances We were pleased with the encouraging increase in the number
of UK provisions for UK patients in 2017 – a cornerstone of our
we are making to ensure we can shared ambitions.
find a match for every patient who While this year has shown real progress, we must not lose momentum.
We still need to improve the balance of male and female donors
needs a transplant. who we recruit to the aligned registry. Our evidence shows that
transplant centres prefer male donors and we must strive to meet
Henny Braund that demand.
Altruistic stem cell donation for Chief Executive,
Anthony Nolan
Our recruitment will continue to focus on ethnically diverse areas
transplant potentially saves the and raise awareness among different ethnic communities.
We are all too aware of the inequality in donor provision between
lives of over a thousand patients Ian Trenholm
Chief Executive,
white Northern European and patients from BAME backgrounds;
a disparity which must change for the better as we continue to
NHS Blood and
with blood cancers or other blood Transplant diversify the register.
disorders in the UK every year. Young people play a pivotal role in the stem cell landscape.
Research identifies that younger donors offer the potential for
Stephan
Schumacher better patient outcomes and a greater chance of survival.
Chief Executive,
DKMS UK Happily, we have seen a significant increase in the number of
donors under 30 recruited in 2017.
Our collaborative strength will support us in meeting the challenges
Cath O’Brien of the future. Thank you to the Department of Health for its
Director,
Welsh Blood continuing support, and to all our partners who enable us to help
Service
more people in need of a stem cell transplant.
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 5
KEY STATISTICS
1.4 million
433 433 UK stem cell
1.4 m plus potential stem donors and 29 UK cord
cell donors on the 19% 19% of new stem cell
donors recruited were
blood units were provided
for UK patients in 2017
UK’s aligned registry
from an ethnic minority
background
2017
Almost 172,000 new
stem cell donors added to
40% 40% of new Over 2,700 new
the aligned registry in 2017 stem cell donors
UK cord blood units
recruited were male
were banked and made
2,700 available for transplant
59% of new stem cell 22,700
59% donors recruited were
under 30 There are now over 22,700
clinical grade cord blood units in
the NHSBT and Anthony Nolan
cord banks
44%
44% of UK patients were
helped by UK donors
2,200
More than 2,200 searches
for a lifesaving transplant were
conducted in 2017
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 6HARDEEP’S STORY
Hardeep Bains registered as a potential blood stem cell donor
with DKMS in 2013. She was identified as a match for Ritesh
Kukaeja, who had been diagnosed with thalassemia, a blood
disorder, and needed a blood stem cell transplant. Hardeep
donated her blood stem cells through a peripheral blood stem
cell donation in January 2015, and the pair met for the first
time in November 2017.
'My heritage is Indian as my parents are from Delhi. There should
be more Asians on the register because in our community, if we
are looking for a donor the chances of finding a match is slim.
'When I got the call to say "you’re a match for somebody', I was
determined to do it no matter what. It was really important for me
to donate because having kids myself, I could only imagine what
the family were going through.
'After I donated my blood stem cells, I knew it was one of the most
amazing things I’ve done in all my life. My wish now is for Ritesh to
live a great life and enjoy a bright future.'
'After I donated my blood stem
cells, I knew it was one of the
most amazing things I’ve done
in all my life. My wish now is for
Ritesh to live a great life and
enjoy a bright future.'
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 7THE REGISTRY TODAY
The progress in the number and 58% OF ALL UK DONORS The total number of available stem cell donors now stands at
more than 1.4 million.
SELECTED WERE
composition of potential donors and cord Research continues to show that younger stem cell donors
YOUNG MEN AGED 30
blood units (CBUs) on the aligned stem cell AND UNDER
offer better patient outcomes, most recently in an international
study involving the Anthony Nolan Research Institute, published
registry has been remarkable over these in February 2018.*
first five years of collaboration. This evidence continues to be a key factor in influencing
overall donor recruitment to the aligned registry; in 2017, 59%
of donors recruited were aged 30 and under, compared to 55%
the previous year.
In 2017, targeted donor recruitment and
We know that UK transplant centres prefer to select male
awareness-raising by the registry partners – donors and we are focusing on meeting that demand. In 2017, the
proportion of male donors recruited between the ages of 16 and
Anthony Nolan, NHS Blood and Transplant, 60 remained stable at around 40%, representing 68,000 people.
DKMS UK and the Welsh Bone Marrow There is still work to do to increase the proportion of new male
donors and we will continue to invest in targeted marketing
Donor Registry – saw a total of 171,768 new and recruitment.
potential stem cell donors made available We are ensuring young male donors with common tissue types
are typed to the highest resolution to provide transplant clinicians
for transplant patients in the UK and across with the information they need at the earliest stage in the search
for a donor.
the world. This is marginally less than the
When it came to typing overall, 41% of donors in 2017 across the
number of donors added to the register aligned registry were typed to the highest possible resolution. This
represents an increase of 7% from 2016.
the previous year.
In 2017, approximately 19% of new recruits to the register were from a
BAME background, down from around 26% in 2016. This drop is largely
down to patient appeal recruitment which was more reflective of the
general population in 2017. BAME recruitment remains critical if we are
to address the inequalities still faced by these patients when it comes
to finding a match, in comparison with those of a white Northern
European background.
Partnership working and a collective BAME focus in our
recruitment strategies will help shift the long-term picture
towards a registry which meets the needs of all patients.
*Development of an Unrelated Donor Selection Score Predictive of
Survival after HCT: Donor Age Matters Most, Shaw, Bronwen et al.
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, February 2018. 8PROVIDING UK DONORS
Our ambition continues to be to provide more UK donors for
UK patients.
The year 2017 saw encouraging progress with an increase in the
number of stem cell donors for UK patients: 433 UK donors for
UK patients. This positive figure could be attributed to meeting
the preferences of transplant clinicians and tissue-typing to an
increasingly high level.
Overall, 44% of UK patients were helped by UK donors, up from
40% in 2016. However, there was a slight dip in the proportion
of UK cords used for UK patients, down from 35% in 2016 to 29%
in 2017.
In 2017, 82% of people who went on to donate were male, and 58%
were men aged 30 and under. A total of 69% of all male and female
donors were under 30.
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 9CORD, THE STORY SO FAR
In 2017, NHSBT and Anthony Nolan THE TOTAL NUMBER The growth in Cord Blood Units (CBUs) banked over the last five
years now takes the overall total to over 22,700.
OF UK CORD BLOOD
continued to build on the long- Over 2,700 new CBUs were made available for transplant in 2017.
UNITS AVAILABLE FOR
term development of their cord TRANSPLANT IS MORE
There were 29 UK cord provisions for UK patients – a drop on
the previous year – while the number of imported cords for UK
programmes as an important part THAN 22,700.
patients remained relatively stable.
of the stem cell transplant landscape. The reduction in UK cord provisions for UK patients is down to a
combination of potential factors. These include an increase in
the number of paediatric patients who are more likely to receive a
single CBU and a reduction in the number of double cords to adult
Cord blood stem cells remain a vital patients, which reflects changes in medical practice. The 2015 UK
recommendations for cord selection – to support correct selection
option for transplants, particularly of the right type of unit, including single shipments in suitable cases
instead of double – are also likely to have had an impact. In addition,
for black, Asian and minority ethnic there is a greater international drive to increase the cell count
threshold for CBUs, meaning more patients could qualify for a single
(BAME) patients and those with few or cord blood transplant.
no matches on the register. The Anthony Nolan and NHSBT Cord Support Programme,
launched in October 2017, is working to boost transplant centres’
confidence in using UK cords. This initiative has been well received,
As they are banked, they also have with three transplant centres now using the new CBU shortlisting
and quality checklist service. The programme also reinforces the
the advantage of being immediately UK recommendations on correct selection of CBUs.
available for patients in urgent need
of a transplant.
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 10ALIGNED REGISTRY 2017 DEMOGRAPHICS
NEW DONORS MADE ACTIVE
TOTAL 171,768 6,607
NEW DONORS
East East 12,487
9,557
BY REGION
Wales Wales 10,199
MALE 40% FEMALE 60% London London 24,86016,274
AGE IslandsIslands 693 812
Scotland
Scotland 8,846 20,318
56–60 Northern
Northern IrelandIreland 2,239 4,561
279 452 North East
North East 2,9059,440
North West
North West 16,905 9092 14,797
South East
South East 11,791
22,917
51–55 2,431 4,135 South West
South West 6,884
12,631
East Midlands
East Midlands 8,591
15,250
West Midlands
West Midlands 11,645 8,146
Yorkshire
Yorkshire and Humber
and Humber 6,250
10,096
46–50 3,339 6,181 Unknown/
Unknown/ Other Other 2,088 27,346
41–45 3,905 8,054 African
African 1,359 829 NEW DONORS
African Caribbean 3,044 2,501 BY ETHNICITY
African Caribbean
East Asian
East Asian 1,469 732
Hispanic
Hispanic 842 180
36–40 7,074 11,778 JewishJewish 499 184
MiddleMiddle Eastern
Eastern 232 410
Northern
Northern European
European 139,889 104,893
Other Other 7,542 5,390
31–35 8,470 14,241 Other Other European
European 5,589 4,077
SouthSouth
Asian Asian 8,960 12,913
Unknown
Unknown 2,343 1,258
26–30 13,354 21,870
African African 86 47 CORD BY
ETHNICITY*
African Caribbean
African-Caribbean 41 31
ANTHONY NOLAN /
21–25 16,316 21,250 East Asian
East Asian 56 17 NHSBT ONLY
HispanicHispanic 18 8
Jewish Jewish 3 2
Middle Eastern
Middle Eastern 9 19
16–20 12,990 15,649 Northern European
Northern European 1,599 1,537
Other / Mixed
Other / Mixed 359 212
Other European
Other European 84 94
South Asian
South Asian 315 251
Unknown Unknown 144 78
25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000
* Includes all searchable UK cords (including research grade)
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 11ALIGNED REGISTRY 2017 DEMOGRAPHICS
ALIGNED REGISTRY DEMOGRAPHICS 10,000,000
TOTAL 1,432,810 9,000,000 REGIONAL
MALE 40% FEMALE 60% 8,000,000
AGE UK Population
7,000,000
56–60 42,083 50,894
% 6,000,000
Percentage of 5,000,000
Registered
51–55 74,999 99,457
Donors on the
Aligned Registry 4,000,000
Per UK Region
3,000,000
46–50 74,135 107,889
2,000,000
1,000,000
41–45 61,529 100,468 1.3% 3.0% 2.5% 1.3% 2.5% 2.1% 2.0% 2.4% 2.1% 3.3% 2.0% 1.4%
East: East London: N Ireland: North North Scotland: South South Wales: West Yorkshire & Unknown/
78,421 Midlands: 207,937 24,305 East: West: 104,974 East: West: 101,864 Midlands: Humber: Other:
137,695 65,875 148,305 211,058 113,544 112,664 71,444 54,724
36–40 64,311 112,838
African
African 8,756
11,591 ETHNICITY
African Caribbean
African Caribbean 23,337
20,847
75,326 East Asian
East Asian 4,052
7,085
31–35 128,980
Hispanic
Hispanic 350
3,817
Jewish
Jewish 10,587
11,147
Middle
Middle Eastern
Eastern 1,827
2,338
26–30 80,210 125,560 Northern European
Northern European 1,128,829 885,913
Other
Other 32,217 50,038
Other
Other European
European 16,556
27,195
South Asian
South Asian 53,934 77,800
21–25 70,627 104,514 Unknown
Unknown 103,525
89,583
African 1,104
AVAILABLE CORD
African 752 BY ETHNICITY*
16–20 23,916 35,074 African Caribbean
African-Caribbean 392
315 ANTHONY NOLAN /
East
EastAsian
Asian 63 353 NHSBT ONLY
Hispanic
Hispanic 28111
Jewish
Jewish 1519
Middle
MiddleEastern
Eastern 3654
100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000
Northern
NorthernEuropean
European 14,493 15,724
Other
Other/ /Mixed
Mixed 2,651 3,009
Other
OtherEuropean
European 337
475
South
SouthAsian
Asian 2,875 4,134
Unknown
Unknown 527 1,343
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 12UK patient, UK CBU 25
UK patient, imported CBU 33
STEM CELL PROVISION 2017
PROVISIONS FOR UK PATIENTS (MARKET SHARE) TOTAL 1,131 UK PATIENTS HELPED TOTAL 1,039
UK patient, UK unrelated donor 433 UKpatient,
UK patient,UK
UKunrelated
unrelateddonor
donor 385
422
UK patient, imported unrelated donor 559 UKpatient,
UK patient,imported
importedunrelated
unrelateddonor
donor 534
549
UKpatient,
UK patient,UK
UKCBU
CBU 20 25
UK patient, UK CBU 29
UKpatient,
UK patient,imported
importedCBU
CBU 48 33
UK patient, imported CBU 72
UK DONORS FOR UK PATIENTS TOTAL 433
MALE 82% FEMALE 18%
AGE UK DONORS FOR UK PATIENTS
SEARCH REQUESTS VS BLOOD SAMPLES REQUESTED
56–60 0 0
Searches 2,150 36%
51–55 3 1 Searches 2,241
Blood samples requested
29% 2,819
Blood samples requested 3,017
46–50 10 3
Blood samples shipped 1,751 35% 62%
Blood samples shipped 1,745
41–45
OLD
16 6 PERCENTAGES
Note: around 50% of searches result in the patient receiving a donation from either an unrelated adult or cord blood unit.
36–40 17 6 There is no correlation between the number of searches and donations in 2017.
31–35 58 15
SUMMARY OF DONORS SELECTED FOR STEM CELL DONATION
26–30 93 19
Northern
21–25 European
122 374
21 16-30 year
Fit Panel old males
16-30 year olds 39% 58%
All other EGTs 14 16-30 year
All other old females
16-30 year olds 11% 20%
16–20 36 7
Unknown 7 31-60 year
31-60 year olds
olds 31% 41%
100 80 60 40 20 0 20 40 60 80 100
NEW
UK DONORS FOR UK PATIENTS BY ETHNICITY TOTAL 433 ALIGNED REGISTRY BY TYPING LEVEL
African
African 2 1
Asian
Asian 2 7 A,B 3.1%
A,B,C 0.0%
Jewish
Jewish 1 3
A,B,C,DR 22.9%
Middle
Middle Eastern
Eastern 1 0
A,B,C,DR,DQ 16.8%
Northern
Northern European
European 393 365 A,B,C,DR,DQ,DP 41.3%
Other
Other 2 16 A,B,DR 15.8%
Other
Other European
European 1 3 A,B,DR,DQ 0.0%
South
South Asian
Asian 40
Unknown
Unknown 7 10
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 13SARAH’S STORY
Sarah Dyce, a partner at EY from South London, has
registered to donate cord blood three times at King’s when
having each of her children, Lucas, four, Hayden, three, and
Clara, one.
‘My friend’s father was diagnosed with leukaemia out of the blue
and needed a stem cell donor – the fantastic news is that a match
was found from umbilical cord blood. He’s recovering now and
doing well and it really reinforced how important it was that we
donated my cord blood.'
Although Sarah and her husband came across scepticism
when they told people they were planning to donate her cord
blood, she said reading up on the process convinced her it was
the right thing to do.
‘We did some research and felt comfortable that it wasn’t
anything risky.’
The blood, which is rich in potentially lifesaving stem cells, is taken
after the cord has been clamped and would normally be thrown
away. It is then banked and could be used at any point in the future
‘At the time I barely
in a stem cell transplant, if it is a match for a patient.
‘At the time I barely noticed it happening. It didn’t change anything
noticed it happening.
about the way I gave birth and yet it could save someone’s life.’
It didn’t change
anything about the
way I gave birth and
yet it could save
someone’s life.’
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 14SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS
The last five years have seen great THE NEW RESEARCH By making it easier and quicker to establish and deliver clinical
trials in stem cell transplantation, IMPACT aims to transform the
PLATFORM IMPACT,
strides in scientific advances relating ability of transplant centres to work collaboratively and develop
even more effective treatments.
JOINTLY FUNDED BY
to stem cell transplantation. We now ANTHONY NOLAN, Jointly funded by Anthony Nolan, NHS Blood and Transplant and
know a great deal more about those on NHS BLOOD AND
Leuka, patients taking part in clinical trials at 10 UK hospitals will
be supported by dedicated research nurses.
the register, and we have much more TRANSPLANT AND
IMPACT will carry out a series of trials over the next three years
LEUKA, HAS APPOINTED
evidence around the key factors that in 22 hospitals to improve the care and treatment of patients
receiving a stem cell transplant. It represents a significant
DEDICATED RESEARCH investment in improving patient care, ensuring that medical
influence the matching process. NURSES IN 10 advances reach patients more quickly, and will help fill the gaps
in our current understanding. The first wave of trials will begin
HOSPITALS TO SUPPORT this year and we look forward to seeing their progress.
While more lives are being saved than PATIENTS TAKING PART This year, a pioneering study* involving the work of the Anthony
ever before, we cannot be complacent. IN CLINICAL TRIALS. Nolan Research Institute shed even more light on the key
characteristics affecting stem cell transplant survival.
Cutting-edge research plays a vital role
The research suggests that after HLA matching, the age of a stem
in achieving more positive outcomes cell donor is the most important characteristic influencing patient
survival following a stem cell transplant. The aim was to produce a
for patients, and must go hand-in-hand definitive hierarchy of donor characteristics and how they affect
patient survival to allow transplant clinicians to be confident when
with collaboration with transplant selecting a donor for a patient with multiple matching donors.
The younger the donor, the more likely the patient is to survive.
centres to develop increasingly effective
These results are extremely significant for transplant clinicians
approaches to treatment. who have patients with multiple HLA matches, allowing clinicians
to prioritise younger donors to maximise the chances of patient
survival. More research is needed to determine how important
A new clinical trials partnership, IMPACT, different donor factors are on outcomes other than patient survival.
was launched in November 2017 to
bridge this gap.
* The international study involving the Anthony Nolan Research
Institute was led by the International Centre for Blood and Bone
Marrow Transplant Research, Wisconsin. More than 10,000
unrelated stem cell transplants were analysed. A paper relating
to the study, ‘Development of an Unrelated Donor Selection Score
Predictive of Survival after HCT: Donor Age Matters Most’ by Shaw,
Bronwen E. et al. was published online in the journal Biology of Blood
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 and Bone Marrow Transplantation in February 2018. 15IOAN’S STORY
A rugby player who joined the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor
Registry at 17 helped kick blood cancer into touch after
donating his lifesaving bone marrow to a young boy from
America years later. Ioan Evans was one of the only suitable
matches in the world capable of saving the patient, despite
the pair living thousands of miles apart.
'After finding out I was a match, the Welsh Blood Service told me
the bone marrow was for a little boy living in America. Finding
that out was really heart-warming and it gave me the motivation
throughout the process.
'I donated in December so I thought it would be one of the best
Christmas presents this young child would ever receive.
'It was pretty straight forward. After the operation, I actually woke
up and asked if they’d done it yet because I couldn’t feel any pain.
'Joining is really easy to do, and I’m so glad that I did. I’ve changed
someone’s life because of it.'
'Joining is really easy to do,
and I'm so glad that I did.
I've changed someone's life
because of it.'
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry Annual Review of 2017 16From strength Almost 172,000 new potential stem
cell donors were made available for
to strength transplant patients in the UK and
The Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry worldwide thanks to awareness-
Annual Review of 2017
raising and donor recruitment.
Anthony Nolan DKMS UK NHS Blood and Transplant Welsh Blood Service
2 Heathgate Place Ashburnham House Oak House, Ely Valley Road,
75-87 Agincourt Road Castle Row, Reeds Crescent Pontyclun,
London Horticultural Place, Watford, Hertfordshire Mid Glamorgan
NW3 2NU London W4 4JQ WD24 4QN CF72 9WB
anthonynolan.org dkms.org.uk nhsbt.nhs.uk welsh-blood.org.uk
0303 303 03 03 020 8747 5620 0300 123 23 23 0800 252 266
Registered charity no Registered charity no
803716/SC038827 1150056
1257CM
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