Why Save Cord Blood?
The umbilical cord and the umbilical cord blood is discarded as medical waste after the hospital draws samples for their testing...unless the mother choses to bank the cord blood.
A Perfect Match
While it’s something no new parents want to think about, if your child should ever need a stem cell transplant, his or her very own match will be on reserve. This significantly reduces critical time to start treatment. And, there are no rejection issues – dramatically increasing the chances of a successful transplant.
A Potential Match For Another Family Member
Although not a perfect match, banked stem cells could potentially be used to treat siblings or another blood relative should there be a close match.
Life-Saving Resource for Disease Treatment
Stem cells are now being used to successfully treat more than 70 diseases including leukemia, anemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other cancers, and impaired immune systems. Researchers are encouraged by the rapidly expanding potential of the medical applications of cord blood stem cells.
Today more than 60 clinical trials with umbilical cord blood sponsored by the National Institutes of Health are underway, with numerous others around the world to address heart disease, cerebral palsy, diabetes, lung disease, liver disease, and other serious ailments.
Clinical research results reported in the June 9, 2007 issue of the Lancet indicate that cord blood stem cell transplantation is now considered the therapy of choice for treating children with leukemia. This is evidenced in the recent case published in Pediatrics, January 3, 2007. The child stored her cord blood with CorCell, developed leukemia, was treated with her own cord blood stem cells, and five years later is leukemia-free.
A Painless Option
Since the stem cells are derived from the umbilical cord after birth, there is no pain for either the mother or the baby.
If stem cell treatment is needed and the patient's umbilical cord stem cells are not available, bone marrow stem cells may be used. Harvesting bone marrow stems cells is an uncomfortable to painful process for the donor. Donors are given general or regional anesthesia and sometimes require an overnight stay at a hospital. There is also transportation costs and travel time to consider if a match is located in another region of the country. Recovery is two - seven days before the donor can return to normal activities.
Immediately Available for Treatment
When you have your baby's umbilical cord blood stem cells banked, they are available whenever you need them. In many cases time waiting for stem cell treatment can make a difference in the fight against an illness. Delays in searching for a donor who is a close match can reduce the effectiveness of a stem cell transplant treatment. Unfortunately donor matches are not a guarantee.
CorCell works closely with your team of doctors to facilitate the transplant of your stem cells to the treatment facility to ensure that the stem cells are delivered as needed.
