Abstract
The creation of registers of unrelated donors, the subsequent increase in donor counts with linkage of individual national databases and, above all, unlimited access for all transplant centres can indeed be considered key factors in the global development of unrelated hematopoietic stem cell donation, enabling searching among millions of potential donors worldwide. More than 32 million unrelated donors are currently available and more than 18,000 transplants are carried out annually, with around half of the donors coming from a state other than the recipient.
For the past 25 years, the Czech Republic has had two registers of unrelated hematopoietic cell donors - the Czech National Marrow Donor Register (CNMDR) in Pilsen and the Czech Stem Cell Registry (CSCR) in Prague. Both databases have more than 110,000 donors (82,000 CNMDR, 31,000 CSCR), with 10-13 000 accrued annually.
The registers are connected to the global donor database and annually provide stem cells for 40-50 patients from the Czech Republic and abroad. In the case of the Czech Republic, this represents 15-20% of transplants with a "national" donor.
In total, 820 donors (680 CNMDR/140 CSCR) donated stem cells since the two registries were established. The majority (about 70%) were for Czech patients.
Donors from the Czech Republic have donated to patients from 5 continents, including even distant countries such as Australia and Argentina. Both registers have an international certification (CSCR) or full accreditation (CNMDR), which guarantees maximum safety for each donor undergoing stem cells donation and, at the same time, a safe and high-quality graft for each recipient.
Moreover, the two registers continue to work intensively on improving their databases (focus on young donors, high level of HLA typing). The achievements and reputation of the HSC donation program in the Czech Republic for more than a quarter of a century since the founding of the CNMDR and the CSCR represent the joint success of all cooperating donor and recruitment centres whose network covers the whole Czech Republic. (C) 2019, Czech Medical Association J.E.
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