Home cheek swabs give new hope to cancer patients

Australia has one of the lowest stem cell donor pools of similar nations and it's hoped more younger people will add themselves to the donor registry using the simple swabs.

Every 31 minutes an Australian is diagnosed with a blood cancer and many will need a stem cell transplant.

About 30 per cent of patients find a match within their family but 70 per cent need the help of a stranger found through the official registry.

The odds of finding a suitable donor can be tens of million to one, according to Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry chief executive Lisa Smith.

Almost 6000 Australians with blood disorders and blood cancer die each year waiting for a match.

An additional 125,000 people aged 18-35 are needed to join the registry, but officials are particularly keen for more men and people from minority backgrounds to get tested. The results will be linked in with similar registers globally.

"You are much more likely to find a matching donor from somebody who has a similar background to yourself, which is why it's particularly important that we have a really diverse registry that reflects the Australian population," Ms Smith told reporters on Thursday.

Most donors will be asked to undergo a procedure similar to a blood test that takes a few hours.

"It's incredibly easy and in fact there's a lot of misinformation out there about bone marrow or stem cell donation," Haematologist Dr Genevieve Douglas said.

"So these days, we don't do the old bone marrow from the bones directly."

Father of two Murray Foltyn needs stem cell treatment urgently and his wife Claudia is hopeful someone who uses a cheek swab could be a match.

"The process is just harder than we all expected it to be in terms of finding that match... we're certainly not giving up hope," Ms Foltyn said.

"The chances of actually being a match are very slim. But if you are that match, you are saving someone's life."

Australian Associated Press