=========================== JeffNEWS, February 21, 1995 =========================== Make a Date to Save a Life - March 8 ------------------------------------ On Wednesday, March 8, the HLA Registry Foundation will offer Jeffersonians a simple free test that may enable you to save the life of one of the approximately 9,000 children and young adults who have potentially fatal blood diseases. A transplant of your bone marrow could cure a patient with diseases such as sickle cell anemia, leukemia, aplastic anemia or lymphoma. Representatives and phlebotomists from HLA Registry will be on campus at 107 Bluemle Life Sciences Building from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. They can answer your questions, give you information, provide consent forms and draw the two teaspoons of blood needed to determine what your HLA type is. HLA stands for human leukocytic antigen. For a donor's bone marrow to be compatible with the patient's, the HLA of the donor's bone marrow must match the HLA of the patient's marrow. "Only 30 percent of the time will a family member's bone marrow provide a match," said Neal Flomenberg, MD, professor of medicine/neoplastic diseases and director of Jefferson's new bone marrow transplant program, which will begin operation this summer. "That means patients must find a bone marrow donor from among people who are unrelated. The chances of securing a match from that source are also only 1 in 3," Dr. Flomenberg said. This leaves the remaining one third of patients lacking a good donor option either from their family or from an unrelated matched volunteer. To increase the possibility of patients' finding compatible donors, the HLA Registry Foundation recruits donors throughout the country for the National Marrow Donor Program. Here's how it works: Once you sign a consent form and have the required two tablespoons of blood drawn, your blood will be tested free of charge to determine what your HLA type is. That information is kept on file with the program so that when future patients need donors, the program can notify the patient's doctor of any registered donors who have the potential to be a match. You'll also be notified and then given the option of proceeding with additional blood tests to ensure final HLA compatibility. Once a match is confirmed and you have given legal consent after in- depth counseling and explanation, the transplant is scheduled. While no appointment is necessary, we would like to know if you'll be attending. Please call the Health Awareness Program at 6319. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about bone marrow transplants: Q. Who can become a donor? A. You must be between 18 and 55 years old; have no history of hepatitis, heart disease, cancer or AIDS; possess a positive attitude about becoming a donor, and sign a standard consent form allowing the registry to include your HLA tissue type in its confidential computerized files for future matching. Q. Who pays for the additional blood tests and the total cost of donating bone marrow? A. Not you - the patient or his medical insurance does. Q. How is bone marrow harvested? A. Under a general or spinal anesthetic, bone marrow fluid is harvested from the hip area through specially designed, sterile needles. This usually requires an overnight stay in the hospital. Q. Does it hurt? A. The procedure is said to feel like a "poke" in the hip, resulting in some soreness that can last for a few days. Q. What are the risks? A. The risks, which will be explained to you in detail, include infection or the remote chance of a reaction to anesthesia. Q. May I withdraw as a donor at any time? A. Yes, up until the time you give your final, legal consent to proceed with the transplant. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Information provided by: Editor, JeffNEWS (215) 955-6204 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------