India's Blood Cancer Crisis: Over 70,000 Annual Deaths Highlight Urgent Need For Stem Cell Donors

India is grappling with a severe blood cancer crisis, with over 70,000 deaths annually. The Globocan 2022 report reveals a significant rise in diagnosed blood cancer cases, now exceeding 120,000, compared to 100,000 in the previous report. A major hurdle for patients is the lack of potential blood stem cell donors in the country, the report suggests.

Blood cancers and disorders, including leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, affect the blood, bone marrow, and lymphatic system. Leukemia, the most prevalent blood cancer in India, accounts for 49,883 cases annually, followed by Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma with 39,736 cases, and Hodgkin Lymphoma with 9,611 cases each year. Notably, 30,000 of these cases involve children. To improve patient outcomes, the report recommends significantly increasing the number of registered blood stem cell donors

Patrick Paul, CEO of DKMS BMST Foundation India, highlights the disparity in donor registration stating, “Only 0.09 per cent of the Indian population is registered as potential stem cell donors, with over 130,000 registered with DKMS. Globally, over 42 million people are registered. In India, 70 per cent of patients with blood cancer or disorders cannot find a match within their families and need unrelated donors. DKMS aims to provide a second chance at life for these patients by increasing the number of registered donors in India. To date, DKMS has facilitated 115,000 donations worldwide, with only 130 in India.”

Despite medical advancements, the availability of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-matched stem cell donors remains a significant challenge. HLA matching is crucial for successful stem cell transplants, and the best matches typically come from the same ethnic background. The limited diversity among potential donors exacerbates the issue for Indian patients.

Sunil Bhat, Director & Clinical Lead of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation at Narayana Health, emphasises the importance of increasing donor registrations: “A larger pool of Indian-origin donors means more patients with blood cancer and disorders like Thalassemia and Aplastic Anemia can benefit from stem cell transplants. A well-matched donor significantly improves transplant outcomes, with success rates ranging from 60-70% if performed at the optimal time. Many patients can return to near-normal lives within a year after the transplant.”

To become a potential stem cell donor, one must be a healthy Indian adult between 18 and 55 years old. Registration involves completing a consent form and swabbing the inside of one's cheeks to collect tissue cells. The tissue sample is then analysed for HLA type and listed anonymously on an international search platform.

The report calls for an  increase in the pool of stem cell donors to improve survival rates and quality of life for blood cancer patients in India.