AABB SmartBrief: Mismatched cord blood transplants can be effective

Studies: Mismatched cord blood, marrow transplants can be effective
Results of transplants with unrelated umbilical cord blood or mismatched bone marrow were comparable with results of transplants that used fully matched tissue, according to two studies involving patients with advanced leukemia or lymphoma. The studies, reported in Blood, found that the one-year survival rate for those who had unrelated cord-blood transplant was 54% and 62% for those who underwent mismatched bone marrow transplant. "Taken together, these results set the stage for a multicenter, randomized phase III trial to evaluate the relative risks and benefits" of such regimens, the researchers said. MedPage Today (7/9)