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March 21, 2008

CORD BLOOD; Lifetime Probability Of Needing A Stem Cell Transplant Is Much Higher Than Previously Reported, Data Shows

New data published in the March issue of Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation indicate the probability of an individual in the U.S. needing a stem cell transplant, using either one's own stem cells or those from a donor, is much higher than previously stated. This new research says that as many as 1 in 200 people will receive a stem cell transplant during their lifetime, based on current therapeutic use of hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells. These outcomes stand in stark contrast to previous estimates that suggest a much lower probability (see also Cord Blood).

The study calculated the lifetime probability (age 0 - 70) that an individual in the U.S. will undergo a stem cell transplant, reporting that: 1 in 435 people will receive their own stem cells for treatment; 1 in 400 persons will receive someone else's stem cells; and the combined total number of stem cell transplants will be 1 in 217 persons.

The study calculated these probabilities based on the number of transplants performed in the U.S. between 2001 and 2003 where stem cells from one of three sources - cord blood, bone marrow or peripheral blood - were used to treat the diagnosed condition. They also looked at the number of patients diagnosed with transplantable diseases like blood disorders, immune diseases and certain cancers where stem cell treatment is considered an established therapy. Because the number of diagnosed patients in the study is much higher than the number of patients who received transplants, it is possible in the future that the number of transplants could increase further.

"Previous estimates have drastically underestimated the likelihood that an individual may need a transplant in his or her lifetime, because they only looked at the first 20 years of life," said Frances Verter, Ph.D., co-author of the study and executive director of Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation. "This study used a methodology that explored a longer time horizon, assuming a 70-year lifespan. What we learned is that even though the number of transplants is low in childhood, the numbers increase rapidly during the adult years."

Historically, stem cells from bone marrow and peripheral blood have been used for more than 40 years to treat disease. During the last 20 years, cord blood stem cells have increasingly been used as a preferred source of stem cells in transplant medicine and have demonstrated significant benefits.