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Bone Marrow Registry in Jerusalem Offers Hope to Arab Cancer Patients

The Hadassah Center in Jerusalem offers the only extensive Arab-specific bone marrow registry in the world for cancer patients, writes Cale Salih.
A young cancer patient looks on at the opening of a summer camp outside the King Hussein Cancer center in Amman July 1, 2012.  REUTERS/Ali Jarekji  (JORDAN - Tags: HEALTH)

When Suleika Jaouad, a 24-year-old writer, found out she would need a bone marrow transplant to cure her cancer, doctors told her that her mixed ethnicity — Tunisian and Swiss — could make it difficult to find an unrelated donor. Fortunately, Jaouad’s brother turned out to be a perfect match. But for the roughly 40% of Arab patients who cannot find a match in their own family, the odds of finding an unrelated match are not in their favor.

It can be hard for Arab cancer patients to find a genetically compatible donor — and even harder for interracial Arabs like Jaouad — on international bone marrow registries, since Arabs make up only a tiny portion of registered donors. In fact, the only extensive unrelated Arab bone marrow registry is located in the Arab world’s least favorite country — Israel.

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