Wait for a match

Cancer Today covered the need for minority donors in an article that featured Manasvi Koul, an Asian Indian woman diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 13. Dr. Willis Navarro, medical director of transplant services for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), explained the challenge of finding a match for minorities, differences in stem cell sources and how stem cells can be used to treat more than 70 diseases, including leukemia and lymphoma.

The article also highlighted the NMDP’s growth over the past 25 years, noting the 5,200 transplants facilitated by the organization in 2010. Nadya Dutchin, NMDP national account executive, addressed myths of marrow donation and the need for more donors.