Targeted recruitment of male donors for allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation: A review of the evidence

Abstract

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.

Multimedia resources to support the recruitment of committed hematopoietic stem cell donors: Perspectives of the most‐needed donors

“…Alongside the need for ethnic diversity on donor registries, young and male donors are preferred by transplant physicians due to their associations with improved outcomes in transplant recipients. Specifically, younger donors are associated with improved recipient survival, 18–20 and male donors are associated with a possible decrease in the risk of recipient chronic graft‐vs‐host disease compared to multiparous women 21 …”

“…In an effort to optimize HSCT outcomes and promote health equity, donor recruitment organizations have set out to target recruitment of donors from the most‐needed demographic groups: young males and individuals from a diversity of ethnic backgrounds 17,18,21 . However, engaging specific donor demographics may require unique recruitment strategies to address specific barriers that prevent these groups from registering 3,22 .…”

“…Specifically, younger donors are associated with improved recipient survival, [18][19][20] and male donors are associated with a possible decrease in the risk of recipient chronic graft-vs-host disease compared to multiparous women. 21 In an effort to optimize HSCT outcomes and promote health equity, donor recruitment organizations have set out to target recruitment of donors from the most-needed demographic groups: young males and individuals from a diversity of ethnic backgrounds. 17,18,21 However, engaging specific donor demographics may require unique recruitment strategies to address specific barriers that prevent these groups from registering.…”

“…21 In an effort to optimize HSCT outcomes and promote health equity, donor recruitment organizations have set out to target recruitment of donors from the most-needed demographic groups: young males and individuals from a diversity of ethnic backgrounds. 17,18,21 However, engaging specific donor demographics may require unique recruitment strategies to address specific barriers that prevent these groups from registering. 3,22 Previous work has shown that people from different ethnic/racial groups face different barriers to donation, including cultural and religious objections, unaddressed doubts and worries regarding the donation process, medical and work/ family concerns, level of education, and uncertainty about the fairness of stem cell transplant allocation.…”

Factors associated with registrant availability for unrelated adult donor hematopoietic stem cell donation: Analysis of the stem cell registry at Canadian Blood Services

“…Interventions aimed at maintaining interest and commitment should be considered to improve rates of availability. Male registrants are often preferred by transplant centers, as greater cell yields can be procured more often and lower rates of GVHD may be observed, even though overall survival after transplant has not been shown to be influenced by donor sex 12 . Recruiting males, however, remains a priority for most registries, and understanding issues related to availability and commitment of male registrants remains critical to the ongoing utility of registries.…”