Serious Stem Cell Donation Events and Recipient Adverse Reactions Related to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2: Review of Reports to the World Marrow Donor Association.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has deeply impacted hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) donation and transplantation. Numerous changes in practice have been introduced, and monitoring the impact of these changes on donations and transplantations is of vital importance. As part of a global response to this pandemic, the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) asked that its member registries and cord blood banks submit SARS-CoV-2-related adverse events to the WMDA-operated Serious Product Events and Adverse Reactions (SPEAR) database.

Suitability of haematopoietic cell donors: updated consensus recommendations from the WBMT standing committee on donor issues.

The contribution of related donors to the globally rising number of allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HSCT) remains increasingly important, particularly because of the growing use of haploidentical HSCT. Compared with the strict recommendations on the suitability for unrelated donors, criteria for related donors allow for more discretion and vary between centres. In 2015, the donor outcome committee of the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (WBMT) proposed consensus recommendations of suitability criteria for paediatric and adult related donors.

New global reporting system for serious (product) events and adverse reactions in hematopoietic stem cell donation and transplantation.

Annually more than 21,000 volunteer unrelated hematopoietic stem cell donations are performed worldwide for patients with life-threatening diseases such as acute leukaemia. Donor safety issues and donor protection is one of the top priorities for the international cooperation of unrelated hematopoietic stem cell donor registries represented by the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA). With this new global reporting system for serious events and adverse reactions (S(P)EARs), the WMDA aims to become the global leading online platform for hematopoietic stem cell donor organisations to report their S(P)EARs from both unrelated and family donors.

Predictors for successful PBSC collection on the fourth day of G-CSF-induced mobilization in allogeneic stem cell donors.

Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) used for allogeneic transplantation are collected by apheresis after pre-treatment of donors with G-CSF. Using modern apheresis devices stem cells can be collected more efficiently. It was studied whether collection on the 4th instead of the 5th day after initiation of G-CSF treatment might be feasible.

Safety of Living Donation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells.

More than 12 000 volunteer unrelated hematopoietic stem cell donations are undertaken annually, and the World Marrow Donor Association established an expert committee to examine all reports of adverse events affecting donors globally, eventually making such reporting a necessary part of World Marrow Donor Association accreditation. The committee evaluates and responds to reported events in a nonpunitive confidential process designed to alert the community of rare events which might be missed by local follow-up. Each report is evaluated by the committee for imputability (causal link between the donation and the adverse event) and compared with that submitted by the reporting registry.

Suitability Criteria for Adult Related Donors: A Consensus Statement from the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation Standing Committee on Donor Issues.

The number of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplants performed globally each year continues to increase. Advances in HLA typing, better supportive care, and administration of reduced-intensity conditioning regimens allow treatment of older patients with older sibling donors. Pretransplant donor assessment and testing are very important processes affecting the quality and safety of donation.

Donor parity no longer a barrier for female-to-male hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a widely applied treatment for disorders mainly involving the hematopoietic system. The success of this treatment depends on many different patient- and donor-specific factors. Based on higher CD34+ yields and superior clinical outcomes associated with the use of male donors, males are generally seen as the preferred HSCT donor.