MONDAY, Oct. 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) — For umbilical cord blood transplant (UCBT), overall survival has improved over time, according to a study published in the October issue of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.

Karen Ballen, M.D., from the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, and colleagues compared outcomes of UCBT by social determinants of health in a retrospective study. Data were included for U.S. patients aged 1 to 80 years: 983 received single and 1,529 received double UCBT following myeloablative or reduced-intensity conditioning for acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoid leukemia, or myelodysplasia.

The researchers found two-year overall survival was 41.5, 36.1, 45.8, and 44.5 percent for Whites, Latines, Blacks, and Asians, respectively, in a univariate analysis of 1,705 adults. Latine patients had inferior overall survival compared with Black patients in a multivariable analysis (hazard ratio, 1.45). For all racial/ethnic groups, overall survival improved over time. The different racial/ethnic groups had comparable graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) rates. In a univariate analysis of 807 children, two-year overall survival was 66.1, 57.1, 46.8, and 53.8 percent for Whites, Latines, Blacks, and Asians, respectively. No difference was seen in overall survival among racial/ethnic groups in a multivariable analysis. Grade III/IV acute GVHD was higher in Blacks than Whites and Latines (hazard ratios, 2.25 and 2.17, respectively).

“UCBT represents an important cell source for the diverse population of U.S. patients,” the authors write. “We found that overall survival has improved over time, likely due to improvements in patient selection, human leukocyte antigen typing, and supportive care.”

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

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