Which stem cell source is best?
All 3 sources of stem cells can be used for the same goal: to give the patient healthy stem cells that will mature into healthy blood cells. There may be some pros and cons to each source, but all are usually able to provide the needed number of stem cells (with the exception noted above in umbilical cord blood). At first, all stem cell transplants done were bone marrow transplants. But today peripheral blood stem cell transplants are far more common. Often, doctors are able to harvest more stem cells from peripheral blood than from bone marrow. It’s also easier to donate peripheral blood stem cells than bone marrow. Another plus for peripheral blood stem cell transplant is that the recipient’s blood count often recovers faster than with a bone marrow transplant. But the risk of graft-versus-host disease is somewhat higher with peripheral blood stem cell transplants than with bone marrow transplants. Cord blood transplant may be an option if a good match can’t be found among volunteer
