For some leukaemia patients stem cell treatment offers proven alternative to bone marrow transplant when no suitable bone marrow donor can be found.

Stem cells take from umbilical cord blood and transplanted to leukaemia patients enables them to produce healthy blood cells.

New mothers can donate cord blood immediately after delivery. The donated cord blood is frozen and stored for any patient in the future that might need a transplant.

This makes stem cells from cord blood a rational choice for when a matching bone marrow donor cannot be found. A patient’s best chance for survival comes from a bone marrow donor who is related to the patient and matches the patient’s tissue type. A bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor may be an option when there is no donor available in the family, but offers a poorer chance for survival, even when fully matched.