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Cord-blood transplant is a better treatment for Leukemia patients.
STATES CHRONICLE – In the past, there was no treatment for chronic diseases, such as Leukemia cancer. Researchers managed to develop and now patients have more chances to live due to bone marrow or stem cell transplants. Moreover, it seems that these are not the only solutions we have. The cord-blood transplant can be used as an alternative and, sometimes, it is better than those treatments we have already used.
Researchers think that even though cord-blood transplant is seen as the last option for patients, it can give better results than the bone marrow transplant. The most important thing about the cord-blood is that the donors and the Leukemia patients do not have to be a perfect match. We know that most people who have this disease are having their bone marrow replaced. They need to find a relative who is able to donate bone marrow or stem cells and the blood needs to be compatible. Most people do not find their perfect donor. Sometimes they find a person who is almost compatible with them, but there are chances that the disease will develop while searching for the donor.
The cord-blood transplant is easier to do because doctors use blood from newborn babies. They are able to produce stem cells. Researchers used data from 582 patients with Leukemia. If they did not find a compatible bone marrow, the patients got a cord-blood transplant or a bone marrow transplant from a donor who was not compatible with them. They discovered that those who used the cord-blood transplant have more benefits. Only small amounts of cancer remained after the chemotherapy.
These are good news for people who do not have relatives or they did not find a compatible donor. Cord-blood can be a better alternative to bone marrow if you do not have another source for stem cells. In the future, we are expecting to see more people using this alternative. Cord –blood transplant could be more expensive because more blood has to be used. However, if there will be more research regarding this matter, doctors could be able to use less blood.
We do not know why the cord-blood transplant is a better treatment for Leukemia patients. Patients who do not have a compatible donor have a chance to live if they use this option. In the future, we could see most of Leukemia patients using this alternative because it seems to be a better chance for them to live.
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