Umbilical Cord Blood: A Lifesaving Guardian From Childhood Blood Disorders to Adult Cancers

Many expectant mothers face the question of whether they should store umbilical cord blood. What exactly is the purpose of cord blood banking? And what advantages does it offer?

In 1988, physicians at Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris, in collaboration with the Indiana University School of Medicine, completed the world’s first umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cell transplant. The procedure successfully saved a 5-year-old boy with Fanconi anemia. The surgery was performed by French physician Elaine Gluckman together with American scientists Joanne Kurtzberg and Hal E. Broxmeyer, using cord blood donated by the patient’s younger sister. The patient, Matt Farrow, has remained healthy, established a family of his own, and later worked at a cord blood bank in Orlando, helping to promote cord blood storage and clinical application.

Once regarded as medical waste, umbilical cord blood has now become a “treasure of life” in modern medicine. It is not only a powerful tool for treating pediatric blood diseases but is also playing an increasingly significant role in difficult-to-treat conditions such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma in adults.

Umbilical Cord Blood: What Is This “First Gift of Life”?

Cord blood refers to the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born. This “first gift of life” is rich in hematopoietic stem cells—precious cells capable of rebuilding the human blood and immune systems.

Compared with bone marrow or peripheral blood, cord blood stem cells have several unique advantages:
· They are more “youthful” and have a stronger ability to proliferate.
· Collection is painless, risk-free, and does not affect the mother or baby.
· They have lower immunogenicity, meaning HLA-matching requirements are less stringent.

These features make cord blood the third major source of hematopoietic stem cells after bone marrow and peripheral blood. It has been used worldwide to treat more than 80 diseases.

A Powerful Weapon Against Pediatric Blood Diseases

Cord blood has been widely used in treating childhood hematologic disorders. Its advantages in pediatric transplantation include:
· Children require fewer stem cells than adults, making engraftment more successful and reducing the incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).
· The probability of an HLA match among siblings is about 25%, and the risk of GVHD is significantly lower than that of unrelated donor transplantation.

In China, the incidence of childhood leukemia is approximately 5 per 100,000 and continues to rise. When a child is diagnosed, stored autologous cord blood can provide an immediately available, perfectly matched stem cell source, eliminating the need for donor searches, saving critical treatment time, and avoiding immune rejection. For families with multiple children, cord blood banking also provides an additional level of health protection for siblings.

Breaking the Age Barrier: Cord Blood’s Emerging Role in Adult Blood Cancers

Traditionally, cord blood was thought to be suitable only for children due to its limited volume. However, modern medicine has overturned this belief, and cord blood is now widely used in adult leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.

In 2014, Dr. Hao Siguo and his team at Xinhua Hospital successfully performed single-unit cord blood transplantation in adult patients with malignant hematologic diseases weighing more than 50 kg—challenging the longstanding belief that cord blood was only for children. In 2015, for heavier patients (such as an 80 kg AML patient), the team performed double-unit cord blood transplantation. The procedure successfully achieved hematopoietic reconstruction without severe rejection.

Commenting on the advantages of cord blood transplantation in treating blood diseases, Dr. Hao explains that compared with bone marrow transplantation, cord blood transplants carry a lower risk of both acute and chronic GVHD. Additionally, cord blood has less stringent matching requirements, making it especially useful for patients who lack suitable bone marrow donors.

Umbilical cord blood, once overlooked, is now reshaping medical history with its unique value. From children to the elderly, and from traditional transplantation to cutting-edge therapies, it continues to bring new possibilities—and new hope—to human health.