MARROW DONORS NEEDED FOR PERFECT MATCH.

Byline: Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer

Doctors completed the first successful bone marrow transplant in 1968, charting a new course for the treatment of leukemia, aplastic anemia and more than 60 other potentially fatal diseases.

Without a marrow transplant, these patients have a long-term survival rate of 0 percent to 15 percent, officials said. A transplant increases the average to 30 percent to 40 percent and the survival rate can soar as high as 80 percent, depending on the disease and the patient's health before the transplant.

To prevent the patient's body from rejecting the donated marrow, blood components are tested to determine compatibility. The best chance of finding a compatible donor is within a patient's family or, if that is unsuccessful, within their ethnic or racial group.

Only one in four recipients will find a matched donor within the family. The rest must search for an unrelated volunteer donor.

For more information on donating, contact the National Marrow Donor Program at 3433 Broadway St. NE, Suite 400, Minneapolis, Minn. 55413; or call (800) MARROW-2.

Following are answers to common questions about bone marrow transplants:

What is marrow?

Found in the cavities of the body's bones, marrow produces the blood components, including red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells - the main agents of the body's immune system.

Who needs a marrow transplant?

Marrow transplants are used to treat patients whose marrow stops producing the correct amounts of various blood cells. More than 60 potentially fatal diseases - including several types of leukemia - are treated with marrow transplants.

What are the chances of matching a patient?

The odds vary widely, depending on the rarity of the patient's blood and tissue type. This means that you may never be called, even as a preliminary match. However, if you are identified as a matched donor, you may be the only person who can provide life-saving marrow to that patient.

How is marrow donated?

Typically, the donor is hospitalized for several hours or overnight after the marrow is collected.

Donors receive general or regional (spinal or epidural) anesthesia for the hourlong procedure. The liquid marrow is removed from the rear of the pelvic bone using a special needle and syringe.

Less than 5 percent of the body's marrow is removed, an amount the donor's body naturally replaces within a few weeks. During that time, the donor's marrow functions normally and there is no change in his or her immune system or production of blood cells.

Is donating marrow painful?

Because anesthesia is used, the collection procedure is painless. However, donors can expect to feel some discomfort in their lower back for several days afterward. Some donors compare the discomfort to the pain experienced after falling on their tailbone, while others describe it as similar to muscle pain.

What are the risks to the donor?

As with any procedure involving anesthesia, there is risk involved. However, the chances that complications would arise are very low. The National Marrow Donor Program Registry screens volunteers to ensure they are in good health. Before becoming donor, a volunteer will receive a thorough physical examination by the physician.

Source: National Marrow Donor Program.