Cypriots may discriminate against other Cypriots based on their ‘ethnicity’ or religion, but Leukaemia does not distinguish between different types of Cypriots. Competent local Cypriot charities are working hard to raise funds for research, address the shortage of donors and provide information as well as counselling to their community members.  But the trouble is they are divided by ‘ethnicity.’ Divided as in Cyprus by a psychological Green Line, there are undeniably potential life-saving donors that may be missed unless community groups work together. 

ABOUT LEUKAEMIA

Representing 5% of all cancers in the UK, Leukaemia is a blood cancer that can come in two forms: acute (with a speedy onset) or chronic (with a slow onset). Based on which type of Leukaemia is present, treatment can vary but will normally include: Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy or Bone marrow transplantation or a combination of any of these three. The latter is the replacement of a patient's own bone marrow with that provided by a suitable donor.

Bone marrow / stem cell transplantation is a life saving treatment for Leukaemia which allows the use of intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy that would otherwise leave the marrow permanently damaged. Every year thousands of people with Leukaemia reach a stage when their only hope for a life saving cure is by a bone marrow/stem cell transplant. But the transplantation is complicated by the fact that only a suitable donor can save the person’s life.  

GENETICALLY SIMILAR

When seeking a suitable donor, doctors habitually look to the patients close family to match their own blood group.  More often than not, the most suitable donor is usually a close relative, such as a brother or sister.  According to Cancer Help UK, there is a “1 in 4 chance of a brother or sister being a good match.” However, when this fails, doctors look for donors from the community of which the patient is a member.

However,  this can be problematic for some Cypriots considering the division of the island and political problems enshrouding it. Which community do we look to, “in Cyprus there are only ever Greeks or Turks” right? So do we mean Greek or Turkish Cypriots? Not so, one Medical Doctor and Researcher Dr. Geoffrey Dean claims: “there is little genetic difference between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.” Historically, he argues that Ottoman soldiers who took up residence in Cyprus after the Conquest of 1571 were known to take up to four Greek Christian wives and that intermarriage was more common than people think. Pointing to another blood disease, Dr Dean argues that the fact that the Thalessemia gene is prevalent in 16% of all ‘Greek’ and ‘Turkish’ Cypriots is evidence that their blood group is very similar and quite different to Greeks and Turks. In fact, Dr Dean says: “They are Cypriots not Greeks or Turks.”

A barmy suggestion?

Dean is not the only medical researcher to construct such a claim. According to research by a Turkish genetics engineer Erol Baisal who contacted research about 15 years ago, the DNA genes of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots are almost identical and undoubtedly much closer than the corresponding genes of the ‘mainland’ Greeks and Turks. In an article published by both Yeni Duzen and Politis in 1990, it is reported that samples taken from 116 Turkish Cypriot, 303 Greek Cypriot, 235 Turks and 174 Greeks were tested in the US by Professor Huisman who claimed that even though the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot customarily saw their ‘mainlands’ as there genetic source, they were very far apart and different from both. Exceeding their own expectations, the researchers echoed the fact that certain codes in the DNA can only be found in Cypriots, which they believe serves as conclusive proof that Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot together formed one DNA group.  

SHORTAGE OF DONORS

Sadly, UK Cypriots each have their own community groups designed to deal with Leukemia. There is no bad involved in this as these groups do a great service to the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities often faced with bureaucratic obstacles. Yet Leukaemia and diseases like Leukaemia do not strike a particular community.

In fact despite the existence of a data bank of donors in Britain, very few are suitable for people of Mediterranean origin as a whole. Of the 330,000 potential donors listed on The Anthony Nolan Register, less than 1% of volunteers are of Mediterranean origin, a figure far lower than other blood groups. This shortage of donors means that the search for donors is “dramatically reduced,” presenting additional obstacles and difficulties in finding donors for all patients of Mediterranean origin, whatever their nationality. UK Italians, Maltese, Greeks and Turks will no doubt face the same difficulties. Extremely under-represented in the UK data bank, often those who need donors cannot find them in time.

In addressing this shortage, the Anthony Nolan Trust is at present working in partnership with the Charity Pro-Cancer Research Fund (PCRF) who are  encouraging more donors from the Turkish Cypriot community to come forward. Alerting me to the problem the community face, a member of the Charity based in Palmers Green, London informed me that the trouble with the Turkish Cypriot community is that they react only after an incidence of cancer, while there is no registry of donors to prepare for such eventualities.  As if a mirror of the Turkish Cypriot community, the Greek Cypriot community experiences the exact same problems. The Leukaemia Society, based in Southgate is too working in conjunction with The Anthony Nolan Trust, organising recruitment clinics nationwide to increase the number of donors of Mediterranean origin. Both charities do very similar work and both work with scientists.  PCRF organize annual balls and walks to raise funds for continuing valuable research, while this week, the Leukaemia Society will be hosting its 2nd All Singing Talent Show featuring Cypriot and Greek Talent on BBC. Sadly, in the televised talent show, which is great publicity for the charity there are no Turkish Cypriots participants. Although the charity expresses its intention to work with Turkish Cypriots, it has little in the way of contact with that community because of language. Who knows what wonderful cooperation between charities can achieve in combating a deadly but indiscriminate disease…. 

UNITY CAN SAVE LIVES

While it is commendable that efforts are being made to increase the number of Mediterranean donors on the UK donor bank database, during times of need, our community charities and groups must work together under a single umbrella if it will save lives. Divided, potential donors might be missed and one group might be disadvantaged if its sister community group increases its publicity or if its campaign is more successful than the other. Cypriots united not only makes sense owing to the genetic proximity of the two groups, it may actually save lives and lead to far-reaching new campaigns necessary to raise awareness of cancers among UK Cypriots, help Cypriot patients of cancer while funding future charity work. In a bid to encourage these interactions between the British Greek and Turkish Cypriots, Toplum Postasi and London Community Post this week  will also cover all press releases and publicise campaigns of the Leukaemia Society as well as PCRF. We hope this will set an example to other Turkish-language publications in Britain to follow. 

Are you of Mediterranean Origin? Can you help? Individuals and organisations are needed to help raise awareness and publicise future clinics in their area. For further information on how you can help please call The Leukaemia Society UK on 020 8374 4821 or PCRF on 0208 886 5111