Umbilical cord blood is as effective as bone marrow transplant in blood cancer leukemia patients

Stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood is found effective in treating patients with a form blood cancer called leukemia.

Umbilical cord blood transplants can be as effective as bone marrow transplants in adult patients with leukemia, according to a new research.

Patients with leukemia might require urgent bone marrow transplants following chemotherapy sessions or radiation as part of the treatment. Related: Stem cell hospital in Bangalore, India

Umbilical cord blood stem cells worked in these patients even if the donor’s cord blood doesn’t match exactly with that of the recipients blood profile.

Stem cells supplied through umbilical cord blood has also been found free of rejection by the hosts body. Normally, cells or tissues from another person get rejected from the body when transplanted.

But the hosts bodies have shown more tolerance with stem cells from umbilical cord blood. The body is more tolerant to the cells in the placental blood, even though they are not a perfect match.

Researchers have analysed data from 216 transplant centers worldwide. They compared the results of 165 patients 16 or older with acute leukemia who had been received umbilical cord blood to 888 adults given unrelated stem cell transplants, and 472 who had been given unrelated donor bone marrow, to reach the conclusion.

They found all the patient groups including those who received umbilical cord blood were equally likely to survive and be free of leukemia regardless of the source of the stem cells.

“What we found is when you look at the outcome of leukemia-free survival, which is the likelihood of a patient being alive without disease, it’s the same whether you are transplanting using an adult graft which is from an adult donor or a cord blood unit,” stated Dr. Mary Eapen of the Medical College of Wisconsin, the lead researcher of the study.

Currently, most of the transplants are being done with cord blood use public cord blood banks, in which parents have donated blood from their infant’s umbilical cord.

Private cord blood banks collect and store cord blood for private use for an individual or family member.

In India, there are several private cord blood banking centres are available. See the detailed list of umbilical cord blood stem cell banks in India