Curitiba - The 25th anniversary of Brazil's first bone marrow transplant is being celebrated where it took place, in Curitiba, at the VIII Brazilian Bone Marrow Transplant Congress. Besides Brazilian specialists, twenty-nine foreign specialists have been invited. Progress in the area will be discussed and it is expected that some of the scientific papers presented at the event will contain information on new advances in bone marrow transplants.

Along with the congress, the Cancer Institute (Inca) is promoting a campaign to attract donors. In Brazil there are some 7,000 new cases of leukemia annually. At the moment, the only chance of survival for 400 Brazilians is a bone marrow transplant which is much more complicated than an organ transplant. The patient and donor have to be genetically compatible, besides having the same blood type, making it difficult to find donors.

The only thing donors need to be is healthy and between the ages of 18 and 55. They also need to want to help someone else live longer.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Lúcia Nórcio
Translator: Allen Bennett
08/12/2004