Cord Blood Cord Blood Transplantation

Question 1

What conditioning regimen is administered to patients before a cord blood transplant and why?

Accepted Answer

High-dose chemotherapy and/or radiation to destroy diseased marrow and make space for donor cells

Answer

Myeloablative or reduced-intensity conditioning regimens use high-dose chemotherapy and/or total body irradiation to eradicate diseased cells and suppress the immune system to allow donor stem cell engraftment.

Question 2

What is the typical time to neutrophil engraftment following a cord blood transplant compared to bone marrow transplant?

Accepted Answer

Slower at 21–28 days or more

Answer

Neutrophil engraftment after cord blood transplant typically takes 21–28 days or longer, compared to 14–21 days for bone marrow, due to the lower cell dose in cord blood.

Question 3

What is double cord blood transplantation (dCBT)?

Accepted Answer

Infusing two unrelated cord blood units to increase cell dose for adult recipients

Answer

Double cord blood transplantation involves infusing two separate, unrelated cord blood units simultaneously to achieve a higher total cell dose adequate for adult patients.

Question 4

What does HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) matching refer to in cord blood transplantation?

Accepted Answer

Matching immune recognition proteins between donor and recipient to reduce rejection risk

Answer

HLA matching compares specific immune system proteins on cell surfaces between donor and recipient, with closer matches associated with lower rates of rejection and GVHD.

Question 5

Which HLA loci are typically evaluated when selecting a cord blood unit for transplant?

Accepted Answer

HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-DRB1

Answer

Cord blood units are most commonly matched at HLA-A, HLA-B (at antigen level), and HLA-DRB1 (at allele level) for a 6/6 match, with 4/6 considered the minimum acceptable.

Cord Blood Practice Test

Cord Blood Practice Test

Cord Blood Cord Blood Transplantation