Any physician can investigate the potential hematopoietic cell transplant options for a patient through the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). A preliminary search for potentially matched donors and umbilical cord blood units can be done early, while developing a treatment plan or initiating other treatment.

The search process affects patient outcomes
An efficient and appropriately timed donor search process improves the chances that a donor or cord blood unit for transplant is available when the therapy has the best chance to succeed. To enable a patient to proceed to transplant at the optimal time, a patient's physician can:

• Refer the patient to a transplant center for consultation before the need for transplant becomes urgent — see Recommended Timing for Transplant Consultation.

• Begin an initial search for an unrelated donor or cord blood unit early to allow time for more challenging searches. (The median search time for a marrow or peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donor is 51 days, and less than 2 weeks for a cord blood unit.)

• Maintain communication with the transplant center about patient status and treatment before the transplant.