How do doctors decide when to use cord blood for a transplant?
When a patient needs a transplant for a life-threatening disease, his or her doctor considers many factors: • Should the cells come from the patient (autologous transplant) or from a donor (allogeneic transplant)? The type of transplant used depends on which works best for that disease. • Which cell source (bone marrow, peripheral blood, or cord blood) is best for the patient? Each source has advantages and disadvantages. Cord blood is especially useful for: • Patients who need a transplant quickly, because cord blood units are stored and ready to use. • Patients who have a hard time finding a matched bone marrow donor. Cord blood does not have to match a patient’s tissue type as closely as donated bone marrow does. • Patients from racially or ethnically diverse communities who often have uncommon tissue types.
