Donation Activities and Product Integrity in Unrelated Donor Allogeneic Hematopoietic Transplantation: Experience of the National Marrow Donor Program

Despite many clinical advances in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), the one factor that is consistently required to apply HCT to a wide variety of diseases is the successful donation and the safe transport and administration of viable donor cells to the HCT recipient. Since 1987, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) has maintained a registry of volunteer HCT donors for those patients who lack a suitable related donor, facilitated the donor search, and managed the collection and transportation of donor cells to transplant centers for use in increasingly complex therapies. The NMDP has collected data on marrow and peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donations as well as additional donations of lymphocytes, whole blood, or platelets. These additional donations are provided for a variety of reasons, including treating post-transplant complications such as graft failure or relapsed disease, supporting immune reconstitution or providing transfusion support. For donor safety, rates of placement of central venous catheters for collecting PBSC are monitored. Data have also been collected on rare events that may affect the integrity of the HCT product (e.g., graft clotting or leaks from the transport bag). Quality assurance and review of these donation processes is an essential component of the transplantation approach. Data from the broad NMDP experience further illuminate factors surrounding the donation process and product integrity.