Cord blood is stem cell rich blood collected from the umbilical cord after delivery. Because stem cells can grow into many different types of cells, including blood cells, banked cord blood can be used to treat some cancers, anemia and genetic diseases. Cord blood banking is controversial and not universally recommended for a number of reasons.
Considerations
Cord blood can be stored in private or public banks. Private banks keep cord blood for autologous use, which means use only by the donor or family member. Public cord blood banks such as the National Marrow Donation Program, NMDP, maintain a national transplant list for seriously ill patients through Be A Match in the US. Medical personnel agree on the benefits of a public cord blood banking system, but some question the benefit of private cord blood banking.
Pros
Cord blood use has several benefits compared with bone marrow. Cord blood cells are easy and painless to obtain at the time a baby is delivered, and they have the ability to develop into different types of cells. Cord blood can be frozen for a long time, possibly indefinitely. Cord blood cells have a low risk of disease transmission and are less likely to be rejected than bone marrow cells. In a study in the Nov. 25, 2004, issue of the "New England Journal of Medicine", Dr. Mary J. Laughlin reported that outcomes from mismatched cord blood cell transplant were as good as those from mismatched bone marrow cells.
Cons
Private cord blood banking is expensive, with an initial cost of about $2,000 and yearly maintenance fees of several hundred dollars. But controversy over private banking extends beyond the cost. Cord blood can't be used in all circumstances. Cord blood might contain genes of the same type that originally made a child ill, so using the cord blood wouldn't permanently cure the illness. Family members can only use cord blood if they're a close enough human leukocyte associated, or HLA, antigen match; only 1 out of 4 siblings are. Autologous use of cord blood cells for childhood leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, is controversial as of 2009.
Potential
Families with a history of certain diseases, such as inherited anemia or juvenile diabetes, should consider banking cord blood for private use. And if a baby is born with a defect that can be addressed with surgery, saving cord blood solely for transfusion purposes could help avoid transfusion complications, according to a study reported in the April 2003 issue of the "Journal of Pediatric Surgery" by T. Taguchi .
Future
The potential benefits of cord blood are still unknown. In the future, cord blood cells might be grown into cells that could cure neurologic diseases, repair spinal cord injuries or heart disease. They also could be used as a replacement for stem cells obtained from embryos. Saving cord blood now could have undreamed of benefits in the future, but the potential also might never be realized.
References
- "New England Journal of Medicine;" Outcomes after Transplantation of Cord Blood or Bone Marrow from Unrelated Donors in Adults with Leukemia; Mary J. Laughlin et al; Nov. 25, 2004
- "Journal of Pediatric Surgery;" The Efficacy of Autologous Cord Blood Transfusions in Neonatal Surgical Patients; T. Taguchi et al; April 2003
