Photo Credit: Vadym Terelyuk

The following is a summary of “Combined unrelated donor allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and unrelated cord blood transfusion for patients with hematological malignancies,” published in the April 2025 issue of Hematology by Wang et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the efficacy and safety of unrelated donor allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (URD-HSCT) combined with umbilical cord blood infusion in malignant hematological diseases. 

They retrospectively summarized the clinical data of 11 patients with malignant hematological diseases who received URD-HSCT combined with umbilical cord blood infusion. 

The results showed median neutrophil and platelet engraftment times of 11 days (11–15) and 13 days (12–22), respectively. Grade II–IV acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) occurred in 4 patients (36%), mainly affecting the gut, skin, and liver; 1 patient (9%) had grade IV gut aGVHD. Chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) affected 3 patients (27%), mainly skin and liver. Median follow-up was 26 months (6–50), with 3-year overall survival (OS) and GVHD relapse-free survival rates of 80.8% and 60.6%. No relapses were observed. 

Investigators found that URD-HSCT combined with unrelated cord blood transfusion was safe and effective for patients with intermediate- to high-risk malignant hematological diseases. They noted this despite the small number of cases. 

Source: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16078454.2025.2496543