# Cancer — can I give blood? (Vitalant (US))

For Cancer, waiting period is 12 months after last treatment; condition is for most cancer types, 12 months must have passed since last treatment and must be cancer-free; basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or in situ breast/cervix cancer eligible once treatment completed; lymphoma or leukemia permanently deferred; outcome is individual assessment; blood service is Vitalant (US), recorded from its source on 2026-08-13.

- **Criterion:** Cancer _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Blood service:** Vitalant (US) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Waiting period:** 12 months after last treatment _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Condition:** for most cancer types, 12 months must have passed since last treatment and must be cancer-free; basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or in situ breast/cervix cancer eligible once treatment completed; lymphoma or leukemia permanently deferred _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Outcome:** individual assessment _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> Cancer: If you have a history of basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, or in situ breast or cervix cancer, you are eligible to donate once you've completed your treatment. Those with lymphoma or leukemia are permanently deferred from donating blood (however, eligibility criteria for adult survivors of childhood leukemia who were diagnosed when they were 18 years old or younger may vary). All other types of cancer will be assessed at the time of donation, but 12 months must have passed since the last treatment and you must be considered cancer-free at the time of donation.

## Source

- https://www.vitalant.org/eligibility

Last verified: 2026-08-13. Review by: 2027-02-09.
Part of [Blood donor deferral criteria compared across national blood services](https://referencesource.org/blood-donor-deferral-criteria/).