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Is there really an advantage to using related cord blood over unrelated cord blood in transplantation?
Not surprisingly, yes! Recently, the outcomes of patients who were transplanted with either related (sibling) or unrelated allogeneic cord blood for the treatment of hereditary bone marrow failure syndromes, were published (haematologica 2011 96(1):134-141). This study reported on 64 patients, 20 who were treated with related cord blood and 44 who were treated with unrelated cord blood – and related transplants showed far greater success!
Hematopoietic (blood) stem cell transplantation is the only cure for most patients suffering from these syndromes, which include, among others, Diamond-Blackfan anemia, severe congenital neutropenia and Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome. Patients treated with related cord blood, obtained from a sibling, had greater neutrophil (95%) and platelet (90%) recoveries, as compared to those treated with unrelated cord blood (57% and 52%, respectively). The incidence of chronic graft versus host disease was less in the patients who received related cord blood (11%) as compared to those treated unrelated cord blood (53%).
Most importantly, the overall 2 year survival of patients treated with related cord blood was 95%, as compared to the 61% survival of patients treated with unrelated cord blood.
The authors concluded that for patients with hereditary bone marrow failure syndromes, related cord blood transplantation is associated with excellent outcomes!