Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation: Clinical Challenges SciDoc Publishers | Open Access | Science Journals | Media Partners

Abstract Umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) is becoming a salvage treatment in lieu of bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in patients with hematological disorders who lack human leucocyte antigen (HLA) identical stem cell donor. Additionally, this procedure has demonstrated reduced recurrent acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease, reduced relapse rates, long-term immunological recovery and comparable overall survival when compared with other unrelated allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. UCBT is further elucidated by its easy procurement, expeditious availability and more tolerance for HLA mismatches. Discerningly, UCBT is followed by not able delays in the rates and kinetics of neutrophil and platelet engraftment and higher transplant related mortality. This is related in part to the inherently lessened number of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in UCB grafts. Several strategies have been assayed to overcome relatively limited number of stem cells, such as multiple UCB transplants and ex vivo expansion of HSCs. In this review, we have compiled the current clinical research investigations to provide reader with a brief glimpse into the remarkable potential UCB possess for transplantation