Jammu Tawi: With over 70,000 annual deaths stemming from blood cancer, India experiences a huge burden of mortality rates from this disease. As per the Globocan 2022 report, the country is also currently seeing a surge in the number of blood cancer cases getting diagnosed which tolls at a whopping 1,20,000+ in contrast to the previous report which showed an incidence rate of 1,00,000. The main challenge being faced by these patients in the lack of potential blood stem cell donors in India.Blood cancers and disorders constitute conditions impacting the blood, bone marrow, or lymphatic system. Common blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma involve abnormal cell growth in blood or lymph tissues. Leukemia, which is the most common type of blood cancer in India, tops the charts of incidence rates with 49883 annual cases, followed closely by Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma which affects 39736 Indians annually, while 9611 cases are accounted for Hodgkin Lymphoma every year. Patrick Paul, CEO, DKMS BMST Foundation India says, “Only 0.09% of the Indian population is registered as potential stem cell donors out of whom over 1,30,000 are registered with DKMS. This statistic strikes quite a contrast to the global one where over 42 Million people are registered as blood stem cell donors worldwide. Over 70% of the patients diagnosed with blood cancer or blood disorder in India are unable to find a match within their families and urgently need a matching unrelated donor. DKMS has a mission to give such patients a second chance at life by registering potential stem cell donors from across India and it has helped 1,15,000 donors worldwide to donate their blood stem cells and save those in need, while this number stands at just 130 with India.”Dr. Sunil Bhat, Director & Clinical Lead, Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, Narayana Health says, “A bigger pool of Indian-origin donors in registries means more patients battling blood cancer and blood disorders like Thalassemia and Aplastic Anemia can be helped by stem cell transplants. Finding a well-matched donor significantly improves the transplant outcome. Success rates can vary depending on individual factors like the patient’s health and the specifics of their disease, but if the transplant is performed at the optimal time, there’s a 60-70% chance of a complete cure. This means many patients can return to near-normal lives just a year after the transplant.”
