Umbilical Cord Blood Banking, Pros and Cons
Questions answered and myths dispelled about cord blood banking.
Umbilical Cord Blood transplants have become the new standard of care in treatment of certain life-threatening diseases such as cancer. Children’s Cancer Research Fund Board Co-Chair, Dr. John Wagner, performed the first umbilical cord blood transplant in the world for leukemia. Since then, nearly 1000 umbilical cord blood transplants have been performed at the University of Minnesota – making it the largest single cord blood transplant center in the world. With the phenomenal success of this new treatment, both here and elsewhere, (with more than 8000 umbilical cord blood transplants done worldwide) many families often ask whether or not they should bank their own child's umbilical cord blood after birth.
What is Cord Blood Banking?
Immediately after birth, blood from the umbilical cord and after-birth is collected and cryogenically stored. Researchers found that the blood that remains in the umbilical cord after birth, which is normally discarded, is a rich source of stem cells. The blood can either be donated to a public blood bank or stored for the family in a private bank.
If kept in a private bank this blood would be available, if your child or sibling of this child had a disease amenable to transplant therapy, this may be a good option. (chances of a perfect match between siblings are 25%). Price, however, is a key factor in most families’ decisions. Private cord blood banks charge both a collection (or enrollment) fee of up to $2,000, as well as an annual storage fee that can be as much as $100 per year.
Should you Bank your Child's Cord Blood?
The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages families to donate their newborn's cord blood to a cord blood bank if accessible in their area. There are only a handful of hospitals currently accepting donated umbilical cord blood, but hopes are to expand the ability to collect this precious commodity in the future. You can ask your obstetrician whether the hospital in which you will be giving birth collects umbilical cord blood. (Note: No public cord blood bank exists in Minneapolis currently.)
The AAP continues on to state, 'the chances of a child needing his or her own cord blood stem cells in the future are estimated to range from one in 1,000 to one in 200,000.' With the advances in research technology, the necessity of a perfectly matched donor is less imperative than it used to be.
If your family already has genetic conditions such as certain types of anemia, thalassemia or leukemia, the decision to bank is often a definite and simple "yes."
Cord blood banking and donation is a personal decision and one that should be discussed with your obstetrician.
