For patients in need of a bone marrow transplant (now referred to as a hematopoietic cell transplant because the source of stem cells is usually not the bone marrow of the donor), the optimal donor is a family member who is perfectly matched ("6 of 6" HLA match). Each brother or sister has about a 25% chance of being perfectly matched; other family members are quite unlikely to provide an acceptable match, although this sometimes occurs. Only about 30% of patients who need a transplant have a family member who is perfectly matched.

If a perfectly matched family member is not available, it is possible to obtain stem cells from a well-matched unrelated donor for about 50% of patients by searching registries of volunteer donors (such as the National Marrow Donor Program). However, this still leaves many patients who do not have an adequate donor from either family members or donor registries.

For patients who need a stem cell transplant but who cannot find a family member or a donor in a registry, cord blood units should be considered. Over 3,500 cord blood transplants have been performed in children and adults, and the results are increasingly favorable as more experience is obtained. The option of a cord blood transplant should be considered for all patients in need of a stem cell transplant.

For a list of Indications for Cord Blood Transplant, please click HERE.

CordBloodForum.org welcomes questions and comments.