Many patients in need of a haematopoietic cell transplant cannot find a suitable HLA-compatible donor within their families and rely on volunteers who have registered as haematopoietic stem cell donors with a stem cell donor registry. Transplant physicians mostly prefer male donors for their patients when multiple donor options exist, and organizations recruiting donors are actively targeting males in their recruitment efforts. However, significant recruitment of female donors continues worldwide and appears to be increasing. In this review, the evidence underlying transplant physician preference for male donor selection is summarized. The review will inform donor recruitment organizations contemplating a change in strategy to target potential male registrants and will equip donor recruitment staff and volunteers with a resource to better understand their recruitment efforts.
Keywords: bone marrow donation; donor recruitment; donor selection; sex; stem cell donation.
© 2018 International Society of Blood Transfusion.