Bone Marrow Transplant vs Cord Blood Transplant - Which is Better?

What comes to mind when considering your baby’s health? Perhaps a good diet, regular doctor check-ups, or a protective charm. But what if the actual protection is tucked away in your baby's umbilical cord blood? Sounds surprising? Well, your baby's cord blood contains powerful stem cells that can be used to treat 80+ various life-threatening diseases, including cancers.¹  On the other side, there's bone marrow, the more familiar option that's been around for decades. It has also been used to treat blood disorders and other severe conditions.

So now, as a parent, how will you choose between the two for your baby's health needs? Will you rely on the proven formula of bone marrow transplants or choose a cord blood transplant? Confused? Don't be! We're here to break down the two, explaining their pros and cons. 

What Is Bone Marrow?

Bone marrow is a soft spongy tissue consisting of many blood vessels containing hematopoietic stem cells (an immature cell that can differentiate into any type of blood cell) present in the center of bones.¹ About 95% of the body’s blood cells are produced by our bone marrow.²

When the bone marrow is damaged it fails to produce healthy blood cells to keep up with the body's demands.³ This results in two conditions-⁴

• Fewer red blood cells - the hemoglobin levels drop resulting in anemia
• Fewer white blood cells - make you vulnerable to infections⁴

These conditions may arise due to severe bleeding disorders or life-threatening diseases like sickle cell anemia, leukemia, and lymphoma. The good news is that upon early detection, the conditions can be treated with a bone marrow transplant/ stem cell transplant.³

What is a Bone Marrow Transplant? 

A Bone Marrow Transplant, also known as stem cell transplant is a medical procedure. Here, healthy stem cells are infused into the patient’s body to replace diseased or damaged stem cells inside the bone marrow.

There are different types of transplants including autologous transplant and allogeneic transplant. Autologous transplant is when the stem cells from your own body is used. Allogeneic transplant is when the stem cells from another donor are used. Finding a donor match for this type of transplant is important.⁵

What is Umbilical Cord Blood?

The blood in your baby’s umbilical cord and placenta is commonly known as cord blood. This blood remains in the umbilical cord and placenta even after delivery, albeit for a short time, and is often discarded post-delivery. However, cord blood has been found to be rich in blood-producing (hematopoietic) stem cells.⁶ These stem cells have regenerative properties and have immense potential in disease treatment. This includes blood disorders, blood cancers, immune disorders, and metabolic disorders.

Cord Blood Transplant At A Glance

Initially, this method of treatment was limited to children only because of the low cell dose. And it has shown high rates of success for both related and unrelated cord blood transplants in the pediatric setting. With greater emphasis on HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) match & cord blood units of sufficient cell dose, the results for cord blood transplantation in adults have also significantly improved.

Let’s now gain further insights into how a cord blood transplant is better than a bone marrow transplant.

Bone Marrow Transplant Vs Cord Blood Transplant

Both Bone Marrow stem cells transplant and Cord Blood Transplant can help regenerate new stem cells in the bone marrow. The new stem cells infused can help treat medical conditions such as acute leukemia, bone marrow failure, hemoglobinopathies, immune disorders and metabolic disorders.^6,7

Here are some evaluative criteria and transplant preferred for doctors and patients to decide what type of transplant is best suited.^{7, 8, 9, 10, 11}

Reducing the Cost of Post Transplant Care with Cord Blood

Since 1989, when the first Cord Blood Transplant was carried out, umbilical Cord Blood Transplant has become a viable and effective alternative for Bone Marrow Transplant in patients in need of a stem cell transplant. Especially in children, both related and unrelated Cord Blood Transplants have been successfully performed for various blood,immune and metabolic disorders. It won’t be wrong to say that over the last 32 years, this field has seen significant advancements, improving transplant outcomes. Moreover, umbilical cord blood has enabled rapid availability and access to transplantation even in patients who belong to racial or ethnic minorities.¹²

Why Umbilical Cord Blood Transplant Stands Out 

A recent study of Minnesota University Medical Center observed the healthcare burden after umbilical Cord Blood Transplants versus other sources of Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).¹³

Highlights of the study

• The study looked at services, procedures (including labs and imaging), medications prescribed, and relative value units billed to patients for professional services to estimate the healthcare burden among bone marrow, peripheral blood, and Umbilical Cord Blood Transplant patients.
• It included 1077 allogeneic (from a donor) HSCT recipients more than 18 years old at the University of Minnesota Medical Center transplanted between 2000-2016.
• Patients were followed in three phases of recovery post-transplant: Day 0-100 (early), Day 101-365 (intermediate), and Years 1-5 (late).
• The above factors were all combined to calculate a score to compare the healthcare burden of umbilical cord blood, peripheral blood, and Bone Marrow Transplants.¹³

Important results from the Study

• Number of visits: Patients who received Umbilical Cord Blood Transplant required fewer visits post-transplant. This number remained the lowest in continued years (one to five years) as well.
• Procedures: Umbilical cord blood recipients had the lowest number of procedures in the intermediate and late stages. Whereas bone marrow patients needed the greatest number of procedures.
• Medications: Patients who received peripheral blood stem cell transplant had the least amount of medication prescribed in the initial days (0-100) compared to bone marrow stem cells transplant, which had the highest amount of medication prescribed. Umbilical cord blood was somewhere in between the two. However, when compared during days 101-365, umbilical cord blood patients experienced a significant decrease in the number of medication prescriptions. Furthermore, in one to five years, umbilical cord blood retained the lowest medication count compared to peripheral blood stem cells.

In Conclusion

Now that you understand why cord blood can offer a safer, more effective option compared to bone marrow transplants, the choice is clear. With distinct advantages, cord blood is a trusted choice for securing your family’s future health. So, If you’re an expectant parent, you should definitely consider banking your baby’s cord blood. This will not only shield your baby but your entire family against the impact of many deadly diseases in the future.

If you have any questions or want to learn more, feel free to reach out to our expert at 18002665533.