| Yes | No |
| Have you EVER | | |
| 38. Had any type of cancer, including leukemia? | | |
There are currently not any federal regulations or standards regarding evaluating the eligibility of donors with cancer or with a history of cancer, leaving some variability in whether or not donors are deferred based on their response to this question. While transfusion-associated transmission of cancer is biologically plausible, there is no documented evidence to date of this occurring, even when a donor gives before being diagnosed with cancer.
Donors may be deferred for their own safety following chemotherapy or other treatment, the time period of which is up to the donation facility. That said, most donation centers do not defer donors who report localized cancers such as skin or cervical that have been removed and are considered cured. Donors with a history of solid organ or nonhematologic malignancy may be deferred for a period of time (1 -5 years depending on the donation center) following treatment completion, assuming they remain symptom-free and in remission. Deferral periods for hematologic malignancies and invasive melanoma are varied.
