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Cancer: umbilical cord blood transplantation preferred

Staff Reporter

Anselm Chi-Wai Lee — Photo: K. Gopinathan

Bangalore: Umbilical cord blood transplantation (CBT) is emerging as a popular treatment option for children suffering from cancer and immunodeficiency diseases, Anselm Chi-Wai Lee, Paediatric Haematologist-Oncologist, Children's Haematology and Cancer Centre, Eat Shore Hospital in Singapore, said here on Saturday.

In CBT, stem cells from the umbilical cord and placenta of a newborn baby were used for the transplantation.

Speaking to presspersons about stem cell transplant in children and how the focus is shifting from bone marrow transplant to umbilical cord transplant, Dr. Lee said: "Children with leukaemia or other cancers, or some severe congenital blood disorders and immunodeficiency diseases, may benefit from a transplant of haematopoietic stem cells.

Commonly known as a bone marrow transplant, the term haematopoietic stem cell transplant acknowledges the fact that the stem cells necessary to regenerate blood and immune function can now be obtained from peripheral or umbilical cord blood, as well as the bone marrow."

The use of cord blood transplant has rapidly increased because of several favourable factors, including ease of collection because of the presence of private and public cord blood banks, expanded and prompt availability, no risk to donors and the decreased risk of adverse effects such as including lesser chances of the patient getting graft versus host disease and the transmission of infections, he added.

Likely patients

"Children with newly diagnosed acute leukaemia or other non-cancerous conditions such as aplastic anaemia, thalassemia sickle cell anaemia and congenital bone marrow failure syndromes are likely candidates for haematopoietic stem cell transplant," he said.

One in every 500 children will develop cancer before their 18th birthday. However, with effective treatment, 70 per cent of children diagnosed with cancer can be cured, according to Dr. Lee.

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