Cancer survivors now able to donate blood one year after their last treatment in eligibility shake-up

Australia Broadcast Center

28-07-2025

Survivors of some types of cancers will be able to donate blood and plasma one year after completing treatment, in changes to donation eligibility announced on Tuesday.
Previously, former cancer patients had to wait five years after their last treatment before they could donate.
Under the new rules, cancer survivors wishing to donate can donate after just one year as long as they have a doctor's note confirming they are in remission and meet other health criteria.
"Cancer is not transmissible through blood transfusions, so we're able to safely reduce that wait time down from five years down to 12 months," Australian Red Cross Lifeblood spokesperson Zoe Ross said.
People who have had blood cancer are not included in the eligibility change, and still cannot donate.
Cancer patients are Australia's largest group of donated blood recipients, often relying on blood transfusions and plasma medicines while undergoing chemotherapy or surgery.
Four donors are required to create one bag of platelets, and a patient with acute leukaemia can use up to nine bags of platelets a month.
About 11,000 blood donations are used by cancer patients every week, and Ms Ross said once they enter remission, many survivors are often eager to roll up their sleeves.
"The community is really receiving this [change] well and looking forward to the opportunity to be able to give back and help make a difference for something they've gone through themselves," Ms Ross said.
Hayley Butler was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer in 2020, the day before her daughter's fifth birthday, and underwent 25 rounds of radiation.
She developed an infection, and after that was drained, doctors discovered Ms Butler had a series of tumours along her spine.
A significant part of her inner pelvic area and tailbone was surgically removed, and she now has a permanent stoma.
During the nearly 12-hour surgery, she relied on donated blood, plasma and platelets.
Ms Butler's family has also relied heavily on donations in the past — she's lost her mum, dad, sister-in-law and father-in-law to cancer.
"It was particularly important for my father, he was having bags of platelets every second day, and it takes four donors to get one bag," she said.
"But that gave me an opportunity to have conversations with my dad and a bit of healing before he passed, so it prolonged life."
Now, Ms Butler's planning to roll up her sleeve to give back.
"It's really exciting that the eligibility has changed, particularly for me as a cancer survivor," she said.
"It's a bit of a milestone for me because it's now an opportunity for me to give back to an industry that saved my life."
The eligibility change for cancer survivors comes a fortnight after restrictions on part of the LGBTQIA+ community and sex workers were loosened, removing most of the bans on donating plasma related to sexual activity.
In 2022, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood also ended the ban on donations from people who lived in the UK during the outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.
Red Cross Lifeblood executive director Cath Stone said there's a record-high demand on the country's blood supply.
Lifeblood estimates more than 450 Australians are diagnosed with blood cancer every day, a figure which is projected to double by 2035.
"As we see the number of cancer diagnoses increasing, we're also seeing an increase in the demand for blood to help cancer patients through their treatment," Ms Stone said.