Unrelated hematopoietic stem cell registry and the role of the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank

BACKGROUND The hematopoietic stem cell bank has been actively recruiting registrants since 1994. This study systematically reviews its operations and outcomes over the last 20 years. METHODS Retrospective data on a total of 47,711 registrants were reviewed. Relevant data were processed using PASW Statistics for Windows, version 18.0. RESULTS As of 2013, the Korean Network for Organ Sharing database contained 265,307 registrants. Of these, 49,037 (18%) registrants committed to hematopoietic cell donation from 1994 to 2013. Fifty-seven percent of the registrants were men, and 43% were women. The reasons for opting out of the registry included refusal to donate (70%), family refusal (28%), and others (2%). The donation willingness of registrants was significantly higher than those who refused to receive a mail to confirm their continued enrollment (χ(2)=6.103, P=0.013). The bank successfully coordinated a total of 512 donors among newly matched donors from 1995 to 2013, of which the bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell accounted for 40.8% and 59.2% of the total donations, respectively. CONCLUSION Our recruitment activities focus on promoting voluntary registration and the importance of updating personal contact information. We expect that these data may be useful for diverse studies and demonstrate the positive impacts on the donation program.