Umbilical cord blood transplantation: the first 20 years.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative historical review and expert commentary without systematic review methodology or new human data
PubMed 20109607 · doi:10.1053/j.seminhematol.2009.10.011
What was done
This historical narrative review summarizes the development, key milestones, and clinical adoption of umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) across its first 20 years, from the initial procedure in October 1988 through 2010.
What was found
Over the 20-year period, umbilical cord blood developed into a commonly used source of hematopoietic stem cells for allogeneic transplantation in children and adults with malignant and nonmalignant diseases. By 2010, an estimated 600,000 cord blood units had been banked globally, and 20,000 units had been distributed worldwide. The abstract provides no specific clinical outcome metrics or survival statistics.
Why it matters
It chronicles the transition of cord blood transplantation from an experimental procedure into an established worldwide therapeutic source of hematopoietic stem cells.
Limits
This is a narrative historical review without primary experimental data, systematic search methodology, or quantitative clinical comparative data in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Hundreds of children have been successfully cured of blood disorders using cord blood stem cell transplants.