Why do ethnic minorities or families with mixed ethnic backgrounds have special needs?
Tissue types (also called HLA types) are inherited. Patients are more likely to match someone who shares their racial or ethnic heritage. People of Aboriginal, African American, Asian, Southern European, or ethnically diverse communities have a low probability of finding a suitable match. Most bone marrow donor requests are unsuccessful for this group. Bone Marrow stem cells transplants require that the tissue type of the donor must be an exact match to the recipient. Otherwise, complications will arise that will be fatal. Because cord blood does not need to match a patient as closely as donated bone marrow, cord blood transplants may offer hope to these patients. In 2008, 36% of cord blood units used in transplants facilitated by the NMDP in the USA went to patients from racially or ethnically diverse communities. Many patients, however, were unable to find a suitable sample and they were left untreated.
