Since any blood bank component can transmit infections or cause reactions, the safest blood donor is yourself. Getting your own blood is called an autologous transfusion. It is not always possible for people with cancer to donate blood, since it is certainly not appropriate if you are likely to have cancer cells in your blood. But it is worth asking your surgeon whether any of the following approaches are possible or advisable.
Pre-Deposit Donation Many cancer patients can provide their own blood before surgery if time permits and a few basic conditions are met. In this "pre-deposit autologous donation," your blood is taken exactly as it is from a standard blood donor. The usual age limits for donors don't apply, but you can't be too anemic or have certain types of serious heart disease. It is usually possible to collect two, three or four units of blood in the five-to-six-week period that blood can be stored. Since you will be giving blood much more often than is permitted for the usual blood donor, your doctor will usually prescribe iron so that red cell production is not slowed down by iron deficiency.
Hemodilution This is another approach to autologous transfusion. Instead of blood being gradually donated before the operation, several pints are taken in the operating room just as surgery is about to begin. A saline (salt) solution is transfused at the same time so that your total blood volume doesn't change. Your blood is then transfused during the surgical procedure or after the operation as the salt solution escapes from your circulation.
