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Cancer and Organ Donation

What Is Cancer?

Cancer is not a single disease—it’s a group of diseases where cells grow out of control, disrupting how organs and tissues normally work. It can affect nearly every part of the body, from the skin to the bones to the blood itself.

At its core, cancer begins when normal cell growth becomes uncontrolled—damaged cells continue to divide, forming lumps or tumors, or spreading to other parts of the body. Some cancers grow slowly, while others are aggressive and fast-moving.

In the U.S., over 1.9 million people were diagnosed with cancer in 2022. That’s not a stat you skim and forget. That’s your neighbors, coworkers, family. Maybe even you. For some, cancer leads to something unexpected: receiving a transplant, becoming a donor, or just helping someone else make that decision.

How Cancer and Organ Donation Overlap

You probably don’t hear cancer and organ donation in the same sentence very often. But they’re connected in more ways than most people realize.

Let’s say someone survives cancer, but their treatment left some damage behind. That’s common. Chemo and radiation are powerful tools, but they’re rough on organs like the heart, kidneys, and lungs. Sometimes a transplant becomes the next step toward healing.

Other times, especially with blood cancers like leukemia or lymphoma, people need a bone marrow (or stem cell) transplant as part of their actual cancer treatment.

Tissue donation, including corneas, skin, and bone, might still be viable even after a cancer diagnosis, depending on the type.

Families going through end-of-life decisions sometimes sit down with palliative care teams. These are the medical professionals who walk them through what donation could look like. That kind of guidance matters.

Can Cancer Survivors Be Organ or Tissue Donors?

Some cancer survivors can still donate, depending on cancer type, treatment history, and how long they’ve been cancer-free.

Not everyone who has had cancer is automatically ruled out as an organ or tissue donor. While certain cancers, especially those that spread to other parts of the body, can prevent organ donation to protect recipients, there are important nuances that create opportunities for survivors to give the gift of life.

General Eligibility and Nuances:

The decision for organ donation from a donor with a history of cancer is made on a case-by-case basis by medical specialists at the time of donation. This ensures the safety of the recipient and maximizes the chance of a successful transplant.

  • If the patient has active cancer, organ donation is usually off the table.
  • If the patient had basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer that was completely removed, it usually doesn’t block donation.
  • Primary brain tumors (that didn’t spread) may still allow organ donation.
  • A small thyroid tumor or low-grade prostate cancer is reviewed case-by-case.

Blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma are typically not eligible for organ donation. These cancers affect the whole immune system and carry too much risk for transplant recipients.

As for solid tumors—say someone had one years ago, got treatment, and has been healthy ever since—doctors might still consider them eligible. 

Deceased vs. Living Donors

The criteria can differ significantly between deceased and living donors. 

If someone wants to donate while alive—maybe a kidney or part of their liver—they go through a long, detailed health evaluation. If there’s a history of cancer, even in the past, it usually disqualifies them. Doctors won’t take the risk of harming the donor’s long-term health.

Deceased donors are a different story. There’s still a strict review, but there’s also more flexibility. Someone who had a low-risk cancer years ago may still be able to donate. That decision often happens quickly—within hours—but it’s thoughtful and based on clear medical guidance.

Tissue Donation

If you can’t donate organs, a deceased donor may save and heal lives through tissue donation. 

Tissue donation includes corneas, skin, heart valves, bone, and more. And the rules around it are a little more open. People who had cancer—even certain blood cancers—might still be able to donate some tissues, especially corneas.

Medical teams look at the full picture: what kind of cancer, how long ago, what treatment was used, and whether the cancer spread. The goal is always to protect the recipient while honoring the donor’s decision.

This process prioritizes the well-being of everyone involved while honoring the donor’s legacy and the impact of their generous decision.

How Cancer Can Lead to the Need for a Transplant

Cancer treatments can be powerful and lifesaving, offering hope and remission to people of all ages. But these same treatments—especially chemotherapy, radiation, and some surgeries—can sometimes cause damage to healthy organs over time. This damage may not show up until years after the cancer has been treated, creating new challenges for survivors who are trying to rebuild their lives.

For some survivors, this damage can be so significant that an organ transplant becomes the best or only option for a healthier future.

For example:

  • A child who survived leukemia might face heart problems years later. Chemotherapy drugs, while essential to beating cancer, can also weaken the heart muscle, leading to heart failure. A heart transplant can offer these survivors a second chance at growing up, playing, and living without constant fear of heart complications.
  • An adult treated for lymphoma might experience kidney failure due to the effects of chemotherapy or radiation. For these survivors, a kidney transplant can mean the difference between a life tied to dialysis and a life filled with renewed energy and freedom.

Other examples include survivors who need lung transplants after radiation therapy to the chest or liver transplants after treatment for certain types of liver cancers.

These scenarios highlight how organ and tissue donation directly supports cancer survivors, offering them more than just a survival story. It’s about giving them back their independence, their ability to work and play, and their hope for a future beyond cancer. 

Real Stories: Survivors Finding New Life

Behind every statistic are real lives touched by cancer and the profound gift of organ and tissue donation. These stories from the Donor Alliance community show how second chances transform lives:

Amy Connell: Eleven years ago, Amy was balancing life as a busy mom of three when she got news that would change everything: a breast cancer diagnosis. After a bilateral mastectomy, she had reconstructive surgery that used donated tissue, a gift that played a big part in her recovery.

As a longtime nurse, Amy shared she had some knowledge on the organ and tissue donation process. But becoming a recipient herself gave her a whole new perspective. She realized that donation isn’t only about lifesaving organ transplants, it can also mean restoring health, confidence, and hope through tissue.

Her experience deepened her gratitude and strengthened her passion for helping others. Over the years, Amy has witnessed the many sides of donation. She saw patients waiting for transplants, families making the decision to give, and recipients whose lives were forever changed. Now, she carries that understanding into both her work and her everyday life. Amy shared that her experience has given her a deeper understanding of gratitude each day. “I wake up every morning and that’s one of my first thoughts every morning. just being grateful I’m here with my daughters,” Amy shared. Her journey has inspired her to live a life full of love and purpose, and to encourage others to consider the lifesaving and healing impact of organ, eye and tissue donation.

Stem Cell Transplants and Blood Cancers

Bone marrow transplants are stem cell transplants, and they’re often the best hope for people fighting blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma. These transplants work by replacing the patient’s damaged or destroyed blood-forming cells with healthy ones from a donor, essentially rebuilding the blood and immune systems from scratch.

This can offer the potential for remission and, in some cases, a full cure. It’s an incredible chance to wipe the slate clean for patients whose cancer has taken away so much.

Where do these life-saving stem cells come from?

  • Bone marrow, collected from a donor’s pelvis while they’re under anesthesia
  • Peripheral blood, where donors take medication for a few days and then donate through a process similar to giving plasma
  • Umbilical cord blood, collected after a baby is born (completely safe for the baby and mom)
  • Deceased donors, through newer approaches like the work Donor Alliance is doing with Ossium Health

Every one of these sources expands the pool of possible matches—and gives someone another shot at remission or even a cure.

The Challenge of Finding a Match

Not just any donor will work. For stem cell transplants, finding the right HLA match, human leukocyte antigens, is vital. These are proteins on your cells that help the immune system tell the difference between your own cells and something foreign.

If the match isn’t close enough, the transplant might not take. Or worse, the new cells could attack the recipient’s body (something called Graft-versus-Host Disease).

For many patients, particularly those from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, finding a suitable match can be even more challenging. This is because HLA markers are inherited, and certain combinations are more common within specific ethnic groups. As of 2023, the ethnic diversity of the Be The Match Registry highlights this disparity. Adding more donors from diverse backgrounds is so important.

Common Myths and Facts

Myth: “Once you’ve had cancer, you can’t be a donor.”

  • Fact: Not necessarily true. Some survivors are eligible to donate tissue—and in some cases, even organs—depending on their health and how long they’ve been in remission.

Myth: “Donation only happens when someone’s dying.”

  • Fact: Actually, donation is often part of helping cancer survivors recover. Transplants are a path to healing—not just a final chapter.

Myth: “Palliative care means donation isn’t an option.”

  • Fact: Not true. These care teams often help families make informed, compassionate decisions about donation.

Ethics, Trust, and Respect

Every decision around donation is built on informed consent, medical ethics, and respect for each person’s choice. Recipients are comprehensively informed of all potential risks, including the specific (though low) risk of cancer transmission, to ensure they make an autonomous and well-considered decision.

National agencies like the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) ensure safety, transparency, and fairness in organ allocation. Local partners, such as Donor Alliance, support families with compassion and clear information throughout the donation process. Every donor’s legacy is honored—every time.

The Bigger Picture: Why It All Matters

Behind every statistic—like the 1.9 million new cancer cases each year in the U.S.—are real lives: parents, siblings, friends, and children.

When cancer survivors receive a transplant, it’s a chance to reclaim milestones: graduations, weddings, quiet moments of laughter. When a cancer survivor says “yes” to tissue donation, it’s a legacy that lives on—proof that hope doesn’t end with a diagnosis.

Want to Learn More or Get Involved?

Together, We’re Stronger

Cancer may change the path, but it doesn’t end the journey. Through innovation, generosity, and shared determination, we’re building a future where second chances are possible for everyone touched by cancer.

To every survivor, every donor family, and every patient still waiting, you’re part of this story of hope.

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