Survival Rates Following Cord Blood Transplant Equal Among Races

Race does not appear to be a significant factor in survival following cord blood transplant (CBT), according to a new study of data from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) published in Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.

Researchers found that life expectancy following an umbilical cord blood transplant was similar among patients of all races. Overall survival (OS) at 2 years post-transplant was 41.5% for whites, 36.1% for Latinos, 45.8% for Blacks and 44.5% for Asians based on univariate analysis of adult patients

The study included 1,705 adults and 807 children with blood cancer who received a CBT in the United States between 2007 and 2017.

Amont the pediatric patients, 2-year OS was 66.1% for whites, 57.1% for Latinos, 46.8% for Blacks, and 53.8% for Asians based on univariate analysis. There was no difference in OS among racial/ethnic groups in the pediatric population on multivariate analysis.

“This retrospective study from the transplant registry showed that outcomes for cord blood transplants are improving for patients of all racial and ethnic backgrounds,” lead author Karen Ballen, MD, of the University of Virginia said in a press statement.

The findings come from an analysis of data on U.S. patients aged 1-80 years who received single or double umbilical CBT that was reported to CIBMTR. In all, 1,752 patients received myeloablative conditioning prior to transplant, and 759 underwent reduced-intensity conditioning to treat acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoid leukemia or myelodysplasia.

Previous research, including a 1995-2006 study of data from CIBMTR, found that OS was lower for Black patients after single UCBT for 885 patients with leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes.

The researchers also found that Black children were more likely to suffer severe (grade 3/4) acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) compared with whites and Latinos. In addition, receiving a UCB unit from a donor of similar race and ethnicity provided no survival advantage for any racial/ethnic groups for both children and adults.

Poverty status was associated with poorer OS. Adult Black and Latino patients more likely to live in areas defined as “high poverty.” This poorer survival was linked to a higher rate of transplant-related mortality. However, educational level and type of insurance did not appear to affect OS, GvHD or other outcomes. However, poverty status did not appear to affect pediatric OS, disease-free survival (DFS), or other post-transplant outcomes.