SAN BRUNO, Calif., Dec. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the newest industries to
blossom out of the biotech boom is umbilical cord blood banking. Since 1988,
doctors have been using umbilical cord blood instead of bone marrow to treat a
variety of cancers and serious illnesses. Cord blood, which is usually thrown
away with the placenta after the umbilical cord has been cut, is a rich source
of stem cells, the "mother" cells that reproduce and create the human blood
and immune system.
In 1995, private (family) banks began offering their services to expectant
parents. By collecting and freezing their babies' cord blood instead of
throwing it away, new parents are able to provide a "safeguard" in case their
children or children's siblings ever require treatment for a disease that
involves stem cells. The most common diseases treated through stem cell
transplantation are breast cancer, leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
Doctors have estimated the odds of the child ever needing to use the stem
cells later in life at between 1 in 300 and 1 in 400. Unlike bone marrow,
cord blood stem cells have up to a 50% chance of being a useful match for
siblings; therefore, the odds of needing to use the stem cells are increased
depending on the size of the family.
"Most of our clients look at the service as a type of 'insurance',"
according to Stephen Grant, vice president at Cord Blood Registry, the
nation's largest family cord blood bank. "We make sure to explain in our
literature that banking your baby's cord blood is not a guarantee of a cure,
but that collecting and freezing cord blood stem cells does provide a unique,
and potentially lifesaving, medical option should the need arise. We have
seen a significant increase in the number of soon-to-be grandparents giving
our service as a Christmas or Hanukkah gift to their pending grandchild in the
next millennium," Grant continued.
The service costs a little over a thousand dollars to collect, process and
freeze the stem cells, and there is an annual fee of $95 for maintenance.
"When we looked at how much we spend on other items such as vacations or
electronics, the cost for the service seemed small in comparison to the
potential benefit," said Tim Cady, who stored the cord blood for two of his
three children. "If we had known about it for our first, we certainly would
have banked it for all three."
Some experts argue that the odds of a child needing their stem cells later
in life are too low to justify the cost. Other experts, such as Robert Gale,
M.D., Ph.D., past chair of the executive committee for the International Bone
Marrow Transplant Registry (IBMTR) support the concept: " ... some might
argue that there is little to lose (except money) by freezing one's cord blood
cells. If they are needed, fine; if not, even better."
The use of cord blood stem cells gained notoriety last week when doctors
at Emory University in Atlanta announced that they had cured a 13-year-old boy
of sickle cell anemia using transplanted umbilical cord blood stem cells.
Collection of cord blood can take place at any hospital or birthing center.
The procedure takes about five minutes and poses no risk to mother or baby.
For more information on cord blood banking, a toll free number is available,
888-CORD BLOOD (888-267-3256). Information is also available online at
http://www.cordblood.com.
SOURCE Cord Blood Registry
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Related links:
http://www.cordblood.com
CONTACT:
Stephen Grant, Vice President, Corporate
Communications of Cord Blood Registry, 800-588-6377, ext. 235
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