National Marrow Donor Program Offers Programs and Resources for Patients and Medical Professionals

English-Spanish CD on Marrow and Blood Cell Transplantation

The Paths to Progress: Understanding Blood Stem Cell Transplants is a bilingual CD for patients and their families to learn about unrelated donor marrow and blood cell transplantation as a treatment option for their disease. A printed flow chart tracing the transplant process supports the information about transplant available on the CD.

To Order Printed or Audio Patient Education Materials

To order The Paths to Progress bilingual CD and other patient education materials contact the National Marrow Donor Program Office of Patient Advocacy at (888) 999-6743 or (612) 627-8140. Spanish-speaking case managers are available. You may also order materials online at: http://www.marrow.org/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=283.

Patient Teleconferences

Medical Update on Marrow and Blood Cell Transplantation for Adults

This patient education workshop provides patients with an overview of marrow and blood cell transplantation, including information on searching for a donor. Presented by Dr. Edwin Alyea, assistant professor of medicine and associate director of the Stem Cell Transplant Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and Dr. Steven M. Devine, associate professor of medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. To listen to a free recording of the workshop, follow the links provided at: http://www.marrow.org/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=284.

Medical Update in AML: New Treatments and Blood Stem Cell Transplantation

The patient education workshop provides an overview of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), and potential AML treatment options, including marrow and blood cell transplantation. Presented by Dr. Douglas Rizzo, associate professor of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and Dr. Selina Luger, assistant professor of medicine and director of the Leukemia Program at the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center, Philadelphia.

To listen to a free recording of the workshop, follow the links provided at: http://www.marrow.org/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=285.

Caregiver Panel at the 2004 National Marrow Donor Program Council Meeting

At the 2004 National Marrow Donor Program Council Meeting, a caregiver information panel explored the challenges faced by caregivers for patients undergoing non-myeloablative transplants. Because patients undergoing non-myeloablative transplants often experience shorter hospital stays, caregiver involvement in the outpatient setting is significant and essential. In the session titled, The Caregiver's Perspective on Non-Myeloablative Transplantation, panelists focused on the first 100 days post-transplant and offered suggestions on ways transplant center staff can effectively counsel caregivers on their role and expectations. The panel's recommendations to transplant centers included:

• Provide a caregiver class to educate them on the caregiver's role and expectations
• Encourage transplant center teams to communicate with caregivers throughout the transplant process
• Encourage caregivers to find ways to establish and maintain support from family and friends throughout the transplant process

To learn more about caregiving for transplant patients, visit: http://www.marrow.org/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=286.

The National Marrow Donor Program® helps people who need a life-saving marrow or blood cell transplant. We connect patients, doctors, donors and researchers to the resources they need to help more people live longer and healthier lives. To achieve our mission, we:

• Search our Registry - the largest listing of volunteer donors and cord blood units in the world.
• Support patients and their doctors throughout the transplant process.
• Match patients with the best donor or cord blood unit using innovative science and technology.

Bone Marrow, Stem Cell and Cord Blood Transplants