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Old Fri Apr 6, 2012, 12:14 PM
Neil Cuadra Neil Cuadra is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
Posts: 2,553
Sherry,

Karen is correct. Even though the National Marrow Donor Program won't accept people over age 60 in the national registry, that just makes those donors unavailable to strangers. A relative can always be a donor if the doctors and hospital say OK. The primary two considerations are:
  1. Is it safe for the donor? Known or unknown medical conditions are simply more likely to be an issue for an older donor. Risks for donors are minimal, but not zero. Is your sister in good health?

  2. Is it the best donor for the patient? At first glance you'd think that a matched relative would automatically be most likely to produce the best outcome, but age matters too. Statistically, cells from younger donors produce the most successful transplants, other things being equal, because their cells tend to have the highest quality and quantity. More and more, compared to the past, doctors are using matched unrelated donors even when an older matched relative is available.
For completeness I'll mention that if you and your sister are twins then that's a big plus in favor of using her as donor.

What it means for you is that a full search of the registry should be done, even though your sister has already been identified as a match, so that you know all of your choices and how good a match each potential donor is. That way, you and your doctors (and your sister) can make the best decision for your health and for the health of the donor.
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