The incidence of leukaemia is soaring in China, alongside other cancers and chronic diseases, according to the Ministry of Health.

More than 40,000 new leukaemia patients are detected in the country annually, and most of them are youngsters.

To help such patients, a national stem cell bank, known as China Marrow Bank, has been set up and is expected to be enlarged this year.

Thanks to the recent introduction of a new software system helping manage the database, the stem cell bank is expected to be fully operational later this year, said Hong Junling, director of the China Stem Cell Bank Management Center under the Red Cross Society of China.

The software has helped establish a unified system connecting all stem cell bank branches nationwide.

"We plan to make the China Marrow Bank network reach every province, autonomous region and municipality within five years," Hong said.

Marrow bank branches have already been established in several major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Shenyang. An increasing number of stem cell testing laboratories are presently under construction in other areas, he said.

Liaoning Province in Northeast China has launched a local regulation on marrow bank construction and earmarked 3 million yuan (US$361,000) for the bank.

Stem cell transplanting is one of the most effective measures to treat leukaemia patients, according to medical experts.

Stem cell is a term used to define a broad spectrum of cells that have the ability to divide for indefinite periods into specialized body cells, such as blood cells or even new tissue.

The China Marrow Bank has more than 30,000 registered samples of stem cells. However, it is still very limited and far from enough to provide efficient medical help for leukaemia patients.

Stem cell banks in the United States, for example, have about 4.5 million samples; and European ones 3.7 million.

More than 100,000 people across China have registered on the China Red Cross donors list to be stem cell donors in the near future. A bone marrow donation hotline - 010-65128424 - has been set up.

The country now has 4 million leukaemia patients waiting for their stem cells to be matched, a Red Cross spokesman said.

Increased exposure to chemical and radiative materials in urban areas is particularly harmful to children and pregnant women, which may lead to the increased incidence of leukaemia, said Zang Yan, a paediatrician at Beijing Children's Hospital.

The majority of children treated for leukaemia during the past six months in the hospital have been living in recently redecorated homes, Zang said.

Some material, particularly paint, have been found to have a high content of poisonous chemicals which evaporate and stay in the air, she said, which, in turn, the children breathe in.

As Chinese people's living conditions improve, there has been a dramatic growth in demand in the building and decorating market.

China Indoor Environment Test Center has warned people of harmful and radiative construction materials which may cause cancer and other disease. Readers can dial 010-83524715 for further information.

(China Daily July 18, 2002)