Umbilical cord blood transplantation from unrelated donors in adult patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains an important treatment option for patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) failing tyrosine-kinase inhibitors or progressing to an advanced phase. In this setting, umbilical cord blood (UCB) could be used as an alternative stem cell source for patients in whom allogeneic HSCT is indicated and lack a human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-matched adult donor. However, very little information exists on the outcome after UCB transplantation (UCBT) of these patients. Early registry-based studies of patients undergoing UCBT suggested a particularly poor outcome for patients with CML. However, more recent reports with special focus on patients with CML have confirmed feasibility and efficacy of the procedure and identified variables influencing short- and long-term outcomes. Currently, UCBT should be considered as a potential curative alternative for CML patients requiring allogeneic HSCT but lacking an appropriate adult donor.