Can Cancer Patients and Survivors Donate Blood?

Cancer survivors may sometimes be able to donate blood if they are more than a year out from therapy. Yet there are situations, such as with leukemias and lymphomas and more, where donating at any time after treatment isn't considered safe for those who would receive the blood.

It's important to note that individual blood donation organizations, as well as different countries, have different requirements, and it can take a little research to know if you are eligible. When can people who have had cancer donate blood, when can they not, and what are the reasons behind this?

Reasons for Blood Donation Restrictions

Before discussing the guidelines for blood donation after cancer, it's important to discuss the reasons why donating may not be allowed or advisable.

For the Donor

Many people with cancer can see clearly the importance of donating blood, but this may not always be a healthy option. In some cases, chemotherapy can damage bone marrow resulting in anemia even long after treatment.

Donating blood also requires a healthy heart, and even the mild anemia created by donating blood could possibly harm those who have cardiac damage related to chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and/or radiation therapy. There may also be medical reasons other than cancer that would make donating blood unhealthy for your particular situation.

Even long after cancer treatment is done, cancer fatigue is real, and many cancer survivors note that they continue to feel fatigue for several years after they have completed treatment. After being in "receiving" mode for so long, many people want to "give back" even while still coping with these late effects of treatment.

Some of the organizations that limit blood donation from cancer survivors for an extended period of time have exactly this in mind. As with the potential for heart problems, even mild anemia due to donation could accentuate fatigue and hinder your ability to move on in your new "normal" after cancer.

For the Recipient 

The risk of transmitting cancer by a blood transfusion is primarily a theoretical risk; there haven't been any reports of people getting cancer from a blood transfusion.

But the fact that, in rare instances, cancer has been transmitted via organ transplants, has resulted in guidelines restricting adults who have had blood-related cancers—such as leukemias and lymphomas—from donating blood.

Blood Donation Eligibility Requirements

The basic requirements for blood donation state that it is okay for an individual to donate whole blood every 56 days if the following guidelines are met:

• Being at least 17 years of age (or age 16 with permission from a parent)
• Being in general good health and feeling well
• Weighing at least 110 pounds

Further requirements include restrictions on some medications, the absence of HIV/AIDS, and a normal hemoglobin level among others. An example of possible requirements is the Red Cross eligibility requirements which also goes into detail on eligibility criteria by topic.

When Blood Donation Is OK

It's important to note that eligibility to donate blood can vary depending upon the cancer center or blood donation organization. For people who have had cancer, the donation center may require a letter from your oncologist indicating that it is safe for you to donate blood. In general, cancer survivors can donate blood in the United States if:

• You meet the basic criteria above,
• You had a solid tumor and it has been at least 12 months since the completion of cancer treatment, and you currently are cancer-free (have no evidence of disease or NED). That said, some centers require five years, and others 10 years after the completion of successful cancer treatment.
• You are childhood leukemia or lymphoma survivor and it has been at least 10 years since being deemed cancer-free.
• If you had a very early cancer in which surgery is curative (for example, ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS). With these very early cancers, survivors can donate blood as soon as they are healed from surgery.
• People who have precancerous lesions are usually able to donate blood as soon as any treatment to remove the cells has taken place.

When Blood Donation is Not Allowed

People with cancer who are not eligible to donate blood in the United States include:

• Those in active cancer treatment
• Those who have a cancer that is progressing
• Those who have a cancer that has recurred following remission
• Those who have had blood-related cancers as an adult, such as leukemia, lymphomas including Hodgkin disease, multiple myeloma, or polycythemia rubra vera
• Those who have had cancers such as Kaposi's sarcoma or mycoses fungoides. A history of Kaposi sarcoma, in particular, prohibits blood donation in the future.
• Those who have had treatment with some particular chemotherapy medications, or certain treatments for cancer such as an organ transplant or a splenectomy

Outside the United States

Not only do eligibility requirements vary among different organizations in the United States, but vary between countries. A few examples follow.

• Australia: According to the Australia Red Cross Blood Service survivors of solid tumors (but not blood-related cancers) may donate blood five years after cancer treatment is completed and remain cancer free.
• Canada: Contact the Canadian Blood Services to discuss criteria.
• U.K.: Guidelines from the United Kingdom Blood Transfusion Services state that cancer survivors may not donate blood. Exceptions include people with basal cell skin cancer that has been completely removed and has healed, and those with precancerous cells, such as abnormal cervical cells, which have been treated and no abnormal cells remain.

Will You Know if Your Donation Makes a Difference?

For privacy reasons, donors will not be able to hear about patients who benefit from their donation. That said, the Red Cross states that every donation saves three lives. And in Sweden, the county council will text you when your blood is used.

Other Options for Giving Back

Having received the benefits of medical care, many cancer patients and survivors wish to give back in some way. If you have asked this question as a cancer survivor, those who are living with cancer today are grateful.

For those cancer survivors who are unable to donate blood, there are many other ways to help people with cancer. Perhaps you wish to participate in a relay for life, host a fundraiser for a friend with cancer, or become involved as an advocate for one of the cancer organizations supporting your particular type of cancer.

Many of these organizations are looking for survivors who are available to speak to people who are newly diagnosed with the same disease via matching services. There are many cancer support groups and cancer communities, where you can bring your experience and all you have learned to the table to help others who are facing the same challenges.

If you still feel saddened about the need for blood, consider asking friends or co-workers to donate when you can't. Many friends of cancer survivors feel privileged to have a way to help, and this can be one way to help not only your friend but others in need.

A Word From Verywell

If you are a survivor of a solid tumor (but not a blood-related cancer like leukemia or lymphoma) you may be able to donate blood to help others. Since eligibility differs by organization as well as location, it may take a little legwork to do so.

Even if the answer is no, keep in mind that there are almost limitless ways that you can "give back" in your community. Until we have a cure for all cancers, there will be people who need to see the face of those who have survived to the point they are asking whether they can donate blood.