Novel Use Of Umbilical Cord Blood For Reducing Risk Of Leukemia Relapse

A novel leukemia research conducted in the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota reveals that those patients having acute leukemia when administered transplantation of 2 units of UCB or umbilical cord blood had extensive reduction in risk of the disease relapsing. This discovery shows promise in changing the present medical practice of employing a single UCB unit for treating patients having a high risk of relapse of leukemia and other kinds of cancers affecting the blood and bone marrow.

Michael Verneris, M.D., and John Wagner, M.D., who have dedicated themselves to the research and treatment of infants having cancer, helmed the research team on this innovative study. The outcomes of this study are printed in the present edition of the medical journal ‘Blood’. This study was backed by the National Cancer Research Fund.

Verneris and his associated carried out their study on 177 patients that were undergoing treatment in the University Of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview and the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital during the time periods of 1994-2008. The standard age of the patients in the study was sixteen years. 88 patients were suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 89 patients were having acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Verneris stated that their examination revealed that patients in the initial and second remission phases from leukemia had a radically lesser probability of leukemia relapsing when they given 2 units of UCB transplantation as compared to those who were given merely one (a contrast of 19% as against 34%).

Verneris mentioned that their finding would offer proof that employing 2 units of UCB for transplantation could prove more effectual in averting leukemia recurring and offer optimism to patients having haematological cancers, thus assisting them to have an existence free from cancer.

For the last 3 decades, blood and marrow stem cell transplantation has been the core treatment for patients having high risk of leukemia and other kinds of haematological cancers. In the past ten years, the placental and umbilical cord blood have been saved, preserved and banked for use by the public. Presently, UCB is been regularly employed globally as a substitute for bone marrow transplantation.

But, due to the restricted cells numbers in the UCB, this stem cell source has been kept aside solely for young kids and small-aged adults. The way of employing 2 UCB units from 2 diverse persons was first started at the University of Minnesota, nearly a decade ago. By employing 2 UCB units, almost all patients could presently employ this stem cell source for transplantation purposes.

Past research studies have additionally revealed that nearly 25-30% of those patients ailing from leukemia had a recurrence following transplant. The relapses are alike irrespective of whether the stem cells employed for transplantation are derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood or umbilical cord blood.

Verneris and his associated drew comparisons on the results of patients received transplantation with 1 vs. 2 UCB units. 47% of the patients were given 1 unit of UCB while the rest were given 2 units. The option of receiving 1 vs. 2 units was taken on the basis of the number of stem cells present in the UCB. As the amounts of stem cells required to make a transplant a success could vary with the weight of the patient, older aged patients and those that were weighing more, required additional stem cells as compared to infants and younger kids.

Verneris stated that given that there was a greater likelihood of administering 2 UCB units to adult patients and that they had a tendency to have a more belligerent form of leukemia, the researchers thought that the lesser recurrence rates with the use of 2 UCB units is noteworthy. He noted that despite holding immense promise, these outcomes would require to lead to a nationwide study were comparisons could be drawn on the use of 1 versus 2 UCB units in infants having leukemia.

Popularity: 4% [?]