Can I donate blood if I have had cancer?

No, you can’t donate blood if you have had cancer.

The UK Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation services have guidelines. These include details about who can donate blood.

The guidelines say that you can’t donate blood if you have had cancer. This is because there is a theoretical risk that a cancer cell could be passed on in the blood. There is no evidence to prove that this is possible. It is very much a safety measure.

There are exceptions. You may be able to donate blood if you:

• have had basal cell skin cancer which has been completely removed and your wound has healed
• have had treatment for a pre cancerous condition, have had treatment and are no longer having follow up