Since 1998, advances incord bloodtechnology havemade cord blood transplantsa viable alternativeto traditional bone marrow transplantsin patients requiring astem cell transplant. While bone marrow transplants continue be a more commonprocedure, evidencesuggests this trendmay be changing. But is a cord blood transplant really a more effective procedure? The truth is, it depends on the circumstance.

Both bone marrow and cord bloodstem celltransplants are designed to replace unhealthy cells with healthy ones.

A bone marrow transplant involves the use of bone marrow that is transplanted from a donor into a recipient to cultivate new stem cells. Bonemarrow is a spongy tissue located inside the bones. Most commonly, bonemarrow is extracted fromthe breastbone, skull, hips, ribs or spine, as these contain stem cells that producewhite blood cells (leukocytes), which fight against infection; red blood cells (erythrocytes), which carry oxygen in order to eliminate waste from the organs and tissue; and platelets, which are responsible for making the blood clot. Bone barrow is removed from the donor under a general anesthetic. It isfiltered, treated, and either transplanted immediately into the recipient, or tested, frozen, and stored for later use.

Cord bloodis collected from a newbornsumbilical cord after delivery, so that it may be tested, frozen, and subsequently stored in acord blood bankfor future use.

There are many different criteria used to evaluate whether or not a cord blood transplant is right for you. When making your decision, it is important that both you and your doctor keep the following in mind:

In addition, cord blood transplants are generally better-suited for those younger than 30 years and, depending upon the quantity of available stem cells, may not be suited for patients over a certain weight. Bone marrow transplants, on the other hand, are not recommended for individuals with kidney, lung, liver, or heart conditions.

Sources

Cord Blood vs. Bone Marrow Transplants.Stem Cell Transplants: Bone Marrow vs Cord Blood. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

More:
Bone Marrow vs. Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplant | Americord