DCIS and donating blood...just curious

ej01

I question came up at dinner last night that I did not know the answer to...but I am guessing someone on this board knows.  Does havig a diagnosis of DCIS prevent you from donating blood ?   Do you have to be 'cancer free' for a while before donating?

SpecialK

ej01 - this policy is set by individual blood collection agencies, they have differing lengths of time from the end of treatment until they will allow a donation.  Here is the Red Cross info:

Eligibility depends on the type of cancer and treatment history. If you had leukemia or lymphoma, including Hodgkin's Disease and other cancers of the blood, you are not eligible to donate. Other types of cancer are acceptable if the cancer has been treated successfully and it has been more than 12 months since treatment was completed and there has been no cancer recurrence in this time. Lower risk in-situ cancers including squamous or basal cell cancers of the skin that have been completely removed do not require a 12 month waiting period.

This is fairly consistent among independent (non Red-Cross) community blood banks.  I had IDC so I will never donate blood again, even though I am allowed to when I meet the criteria outlined above.  Even though current testing says I am NED I don't know for sure - so my conscience will not allow me to donate.  I worked in Transfusion Services prior to diagnosis, in the same hospital that I had my BMX.  I would not want to receive blood from a cancer patient under any circumstances.  Those who are transfused are frail, weak, elderly, cancer patients, preemie babies, patients with blood disorders, etc. On the subject of organ donation, I believe cancer prohibits any transplant except skin and corneas.

ej01

Thanks SpecialK for the thorough response. 

ro-berta

Geeze, I didn,t know that we weren,t eligible to donate organs. I guess that makes sense but i have always had a card signed and my wishes made known about organ donation. Wow I kinda feel side swiped. Thanx for the info SpecialK

    roberta

proudtospin

I am under the impression that we are not able to donate and if there is ANY doubt, then would not in any way donate

FLMel

I was not allowed to donate when I tried two years post surgery. But I think it might have been because I am still taking Evista. The woman working on the donation bus said I have to be 5 years with no treatment and considered Evista a treatment, I guess. My doctor told me not to donate because I don't have good veins and if I get cancer again I'm going to need them. But I'm planning on NOT getting cancer again!

proudtospin

note, my brother has hodgkins and approached me about a stem cell transplant, after I got over my shock as I had been led to believe I was not a possible donor, I asked all 3 of my then docs...bs, mo & ro and all said no way.

I had dcis and the time of his asking me, I had just finished rads, passed my first post rad mamo, diagnosed with lymphodemia, had just recovered from nasty shingles....oh yeah, had asthma that was not controlled (it is now).

a pal of mine from the gym had been a bone marrow donor 10 years ago to his brother.  my pal has had numerous surgeries for cyst which he believes were caused by the transplant.  You need to be healthy to be a donor, not border line hangin in healthy

donnajrn

I have always been a blood donor so when I had surgery for DCIS I was disappointed I was no longer able to donate.  Later I did research and found out if you have DCIS you are able to donate because it is a noninvasive cancer.  Since then I have donated several times never being turned down for donation.

 Donna

Emaline

I tried to donate last month and was told since I am on Tamoxifen, I can't donate.  I also was not aware I was now not allowed to donate organs. I guess it makes sense but makes me sad