Brussels, Belgium – Over the last decade, Belgium has seen more than 4,000 allogeneic stem cell transplants performed annually, offering a lifeline to patients battling blood cancers and other life-threatening conditions, according to data released today coinciding with World Stem Cell Donor Day. The figures,compiled by the Red Cross-Flanders and the Belgian Transplant Register,reveal a consistent need for these procedures.
Since the introduction of the technology in the early 1970s, Belgium has facilitated over 10,000 allogeneic stem cell transplants – procedures were healthy stem cells from a donor replace damaged or diseased cells. approximately 40% of these transplants utilize family members as donors, while the remaining 60% rely on the Belgian or international stem cell registers.
Stem cell transplantation is frequently enough critical for individuals with leukemia, bone marrow diseases, or congenital stem cell abnormalities that hinder the production of healthy blood cells. Finding a suitable donor, however, presents a meaningful challenge. While siblings have a one-in-four chance of being a match, the odds drop to one in 50,000 outside of family.
To address this, Belgium maintains a national stem cell register with 82,000 registered donors (65% women, 35% men), contributing to a global network of over 42 million potential donors. Demand for donor matches is rising; new patient registrations increased from 200 in 2006 to 350 in 2015, and reached 525 in the most recent year.
Disparities in genetic diversity impact donor matching success rates. Patients of African, Turkish, or mixed heritage have a 66% chance of finding a suitable donor, compared to 96% for those of European, Caucasian descent. This underscores the urgent need for increased donor diversity within the registry.
In addition to allogeneic transplants, Belgium also performs autologous transplants – utilizing a patient’s own stem cells – with over 4,500 such procedures conducted in the last ten years, and more than 14,000 since the 1970s.
