Comparison of Cord Blood and Bone Marrow Transplants

The use of blood from the umbilical cord is increasingly being applied to new diseases and conditions. It is especially useful in treating leukemia. This science progresses more and more every day.

The blood that is found in umbilical cords is useful because it is full of stem cells. This blood is taken from both the umbilical cord and placenta right after childbirth. The stem cells that are extracted from these parts are essential. They can be used to create new organs and make more blood. These are the same stem cells that create children, and we can use them to build tissue and combat potentially fatal disease that may occur later in life.

Stem cells can also be extracted from bone marrow, in bone marrow transplants. These are both effective ways of getting stem cells, but there are pros and cons to each.

Cord Blood And Bone Marrow Transplants - Weighing The Options

Cord Blood

- In general, umbilical cords yield much higher quality stem cells than bone marrow. Although useful stem cells can be obtained from bone marrow, scientific studies have shown the cord blood to be better.

- In some cases, bone marrow stem cells are rejected by the recipient's body. This could lead to a potentially fatal situation if it is not attended to quickly. It is a small risk, but needs to be taken into consideration.

- When a patient needs blood, their attending doctors will have to find donor blood that has the same composition. This can take time. Umbilical cord stem cells can be used immediately, cutting down on the delay time by as much as a few days.

- If a patient's own cord blood cannot be used for treatment, they can get cord blood from a public blood bank. There is a vast amount of cord blood stored up, and physicians have access to an efficient, computerized system for locating it for the patient. Parents are constantly donating new cord blood, adding to the already existing stores.

Bone Marrow

- Bone marrow transplants have been done for a long time. Transplanting cord blood is still a relatively new procedure and may carry other unknown risks.