UK’s stem cell transplant system may be putting lives at risk, report by MPs finds

The review found that only 24% of stem cell transplants in the UK used a UK donor. Experts say reliance on overseas donors is costly and risks supply chain problems. Photograph: Andrew Brookes/Getty Images/Image Source

The UK’s stem cell transplant system is potentially putting the lives of blood cancer patients at risk as a result of inadequate infrastructure and a lack of long-term planning, a parliamentary report has found.

A hematopoietic stem cell transplant, often referred to as a bone marrow transplant, is a medical procedure in which stem cells from a healthy donor are transplanted into a patient.