Japan has made great strides in the fight against leukemia in the last two decades that have seen bone marrow transplants increase, while the implementation of a nationwide donor program also has contributed significantly.
But the donor pool still needs to be expanded further to give more patients on the waiting list a chance of finding a marrow match, and a better shot at undergoing the life-saving surgery.
As of the end of 2011, about 400,000 potential donors were registered with the Japan Marrow Donor Program and around 13,700 patients in total had received bone marrow transplants since its inception in 1991. Approximately 34,600 patients have sought transplants since the program started.