News
View the latest transplant news and stories.
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HIV-Positive Patients with Lymphoma Should No Longer be Excluded From Receiving Blood Stem Cell Transplants as Treatment
December 2014NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - HIV-positive patients with lymphoma were previously excluded from receiving autologous blood stem cell transplants as treatment, because of concern that these patients’ compromised immune systems would have a higher risk of infection and poor graft function due to their need for HIV medications. Results from the clinical trial, presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) meetings on December 8 at 4:45 p.m. PST, show the concern of additional risk is unfounded -
Similar Survival Rates in Children with High Risk Blood Cancers Transplanted with One Versus Two Umbilical Cord Blood Units
October 2014NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - Based on promising early studies, a new study was performed to compare transplant outcomes in children transplanted with one or two partially matched cord blood units. According to the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, survival rates were high in both treatment arms with no differences in survival whether transplanted with one or two units. -
Roadmap to Future BMT CTN trials focus of Pre-ASH symposium
October 2014Be The Match Feature Story – Physicians who refer for transplant or perform transplant can quickly get up to speed on the roadmap for future Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) trials in the U.S. Join us for A Report from the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network State of the Science Symposium 2014, a CME satellite symposium preceding the 2014 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting -
Large Majority of Patients Who Need Unrelated Bone Marrow Transplants Can Find a Matching Donor on the National Be The Match Registry
July 2014NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - An overwhelming percentage of patients who need an unrelated bone marrow transplant will have a suitably matched, available donor on the Be The Match Registry ® , operated by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP)/Be The Match® , according to a new study published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. -
New Day Celebrates Giving the Tuesday after Thanksgiving
November 2013Be The Match Feature Story - Be The Match has joined #GivingTuesday, a first of its kind effort to transform how people think about the giving season and create a better world. -
In Memoriam: Congressman C.W. Bill Young
October 2013Be The Match Feature Story - The National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP) /Be The Match® is deeply saddened by the passing of United States Congressman C.W. Bill Young. -
Race Matters When a Patient Needs a Stem Cell or Marrow Transplant
August 2013NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - Washington Post contributor Arthur Allen wrote an article about the importance of adding more diverse members to the national Be The Match Registry. -
NMDP/Be The Match Named Top Minnesota Workplace
June 2013NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - The National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), also publicly known as Be The Match®, is one of the Top 100 Workplaces in Minnesota for the third year in a row, based on results from the Star Tribune’s annual employee survey. The NMDP and Be The Match was ranked No. 29 on the list of large companies, those employing 500 or more. -
Robin Roberts Returns to Good Morning America After Transplant
February 2013Be The Match Feature Story - On Wednesday, February 20, news anchor Robin Roberts made her return to Good Morning America —five months to the day after her marrow transplant to treat myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).
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1 Millionth Blood Stem Cell Transplant Marks Major Medical Milestone
January 2013NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - The collaborative work of medical scientists and physicians across the globe has resulted in a major medical milestone: the world’s 1 millionth blood stem cell transplant, a procedure that has become a proven and essential therapy for many patients battling blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, as well as other critical diseases.
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Be The Match Marshals Social Volunteers to Help Save Lives on MLK Day of Service
January 2013NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - Americans turn out in force every year to help their neighbors in need during the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, putting their time toward building communities and improving lives.
This year, Be The Match® is tapping the power of social media to provide another way for people to take part in this important day of community service, which honors one of the most inspirational leaders in the nation’s history.
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Robin Roberts Asks America, “If You Had the Power to Save a Life, Would You?”
October 2012Be The Match Feature Story - Robin is urging the public to offer a cure to someone with blood cancer, by joining the Be The Match Registry®. Watch her public service announcement that aired on Good Morning America on September 27, 2012.
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Study Compares Unrelated Marrow and PBSC Transplant Outcomes
October 2012NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - A large prospective, randomized study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) compared outcomes of patients receiving transplantation with either peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) or bone marrow from unrelated donors. While there was no difference in patient survival rates between these two major sources of donated blood cells, the study showed differences in the type and extent of complications.
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Donor and Recipient Meet for First Time on ABC’s Good Morning America
September 2012Be The Match Feature Story - Last month, millions tuned in as Good Morning America featured a live donor-recipient meeting hosted by anchor, Robin Roberts.
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Mother of two will finally meet the young man who saved her life
August 2012NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - Erika Turner was a busy mom of two teenage boys and working full-time at a local hospital, so when she started feeling tired and noticed a bit of bruising on her body, she wasn’t immediately suspicious. But a resident at the hospital pointed out that it looked like her platelets were low, and encouraged Erika to have it checked out. After numerous tests that week, Erika was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) with Philadelphia positive chromosome in September 2010.
Doctors knew immediately that Erika would need a bone marrow transplant to survive. Now, two years after receiving a life-saving transplant, Erika will finally be able to thank Christopher, her donor, in person. The two will be introduced for the first time live on ABC’s Good Morning America on Wednesday, Aug. 22.
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Marrow Transplant Patients and Advocates Rally Congress to Support Be The Match
July 2012NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - People from across the country whose lives have been impacted by bone marrow donation – whether they have received a transplant or donated bone marrow to a stranger – will converge in Washington, D.C. on July 18. Their goal: to urge continued Congressional support of Be The Match®, the global leader in providing bone marrow and umbilical cord blood transplants to patients with life-threatening blood cancers.
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Good Morning America Anchor, Robin Roberts announces MDS diagnosis
June 2012Be The Match Feature Story - When Robin Roberts, anchor on Good Morning America and a breast cancer survivor, announced her diagnosis with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a heightened awareness was created about the need for more marrow donors.
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Coalition Says PBSC Donor Compensation Poses Health Risks to Patients and Donors
February 2012NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - A coalition of eight leading international health organizations today issued a statement supporting the U.S. Department of Justice’s appeal of the Ninth Circuit Court ruling that allows certain marrow donors to be compensated. Filed Jan. 17, the Justice Department’s appeal cites the potential for serious health risks to patients and donors if the ruling stands.
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Run-Walk Fundraising Event Expands
January 2012NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - Be The Match® has announced that its Be The One Run fundraising run/walk event will expand to 10 cities in 2012. Columbus, Ohio; Richmond, Va.; San Jose, Calif. and Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla will join Atlanta, Ga.; Charlotte, N.C.; Houston, Texas; Long Beach, Calif.; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.; and Portland, Ore. for the 2012 series.
These run/walk fundraising events give patients with leukemia, lymphoma and 70 other life-threatening diseases a second chance at life. Every step participants take helps patients receive the marrow transplant they need.