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. -
Case-Based CME Shares Latest CLL and MCL Research and Outcomes
June 2014Be The Match Feature Story – The National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match is now offering a new CME activity for hematologists/oncologists who treat CLL or MCL. A Case-Based Approach to CLL and MCL: Novel Therapies and Transplant Options explores challenging questions with evolving therapies for patients with CLL and MCL. -
Dr. Mary Horowitz Presented with Lifetime Achievement Award for Blood and Marrow Transplant Research
March 2014National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match Press Release - Mary Horowitz, M.D., M.S., the Robert A. Uihlein, Jr. Chair in Hematologic Research, professor of medicine and chief of hematology and oncology at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), was presented with the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ASBMT) at the organization’s annual meeting. The award recognizes her involvement and support of the blood and marrow transplant community, and her past, present and current stewardship of both CIBMTR® (the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research®) and the Clinical Trials Network. She was also commended for her commitment to mentoring the next generation of clinical scientists. -
Latest Developments in CLL and MCL
November 2013Be The Match Feature Story - Physicians are invited to attend CLL and MCL: Conventional Therapies and Transplant Options, a satellite symposium preceding the 2013 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting -
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. -
Giving a Child the Gift of Life
October 2013Be The Match Feature Story -Leukemia accounts for about 1 in 3 cancer cases in children, making it the most common form of childhood cancer. -
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. -
New Research Shows Significant Improvement in Overall Survival Outcomes for Patients Receiving Blood Stem Cell Transplants
May 2013NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - Survival rates have increased significantly among patients who received blood stem cell transplants from both related and unrelated donors, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology today. The study authors attribute the increase to several factors, including advances in HLA tissue typing, better supportive care and earlier referral for transplantation.
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Know Your Risk Factors for Developing Heart Problems After Transplant
February 2013Be The Match Feature Story - Certain types of treatment before your transplant or complications that happen after transplant can sometimes increase a patient's risk of heart problems. Dr. Saro Armenian explains some of the signs and symptoms to look for, questions to ask a doctor, and what patients can do now to improve heart health.
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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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New Research Shows Significant Improvement in Survival
December 2012NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - Survival rates have increased significantly over the past decade among patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases who received blood stem cell transplants from donors outside of their families, according to new research.
Results of the recent study – presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Atlanta – showed that the one-year survival rate for all unrelated transplant patients improved 12 to 13 percent between 2000 and 2009, and a large percentage of patients improvements through their three-year follow-up.
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Be The Match Focuses on Building a Younger Registry
October 2012Be The Match Feature Story - Did you know that registry members ages 18 - 44 are requested by transplant doctors more than 90 percent of the time? This is why Be The Match® is strengthening its attention on recruiting younger individuals to join the registry.
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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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ASBMT Joins the NMDP to Support the Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program
March 2012NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation® (ASBMT) is rallying the support of its membership and other stakeholders so that more patients can benefit from life-saving research.
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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.