A trial of stem cell transplants using umbilical cord blood (RIC UCBT)
Cancer type:
Status:
Phase:
This trial looked at using umbilical cord blood from unrelated donors for people who had a blood cancer.
Blood cancers include:
The trial was open for people to join between 2009 and 2014. The team published the results in 2022.
More about this trial
are cells in the that grow into new blood cells. Having high doses of chemotherapy damages the stem cells. In this case you need a stem cell or bone marrow transplant to replace them.
You can have stem cells or bone marrow from somebody else (a donor). They must have similar bone marrow to you. Some people have a family member who is a match. Others have a transplant from an unrelated donor. Sometimes neither type of donor is available.
Stem cells can also be collected from the umbilical cord of newborn babies. Researchers wanted to see if doctors could use umbilical stem cells to treat blood cancers. This is called a cord blood transfusion or CBT.
Doctors used lower doses of chemotherapy before a stem cell or bone marrow transplant. This is called reduced intensity conditioning (RIC). RIC causes fewer side effects than the high dose treatment. Researchers hoped this would allow more people to have CBT.
A possible benefit of CBT is that fewer people might have a side effect of a donor transplant called graft versus host disease.
The aims of the trial were to find out:
- more about CBT
- if it is possible for people with blood cancers to have CBT
- whether CBT helped people with blood cancers
Summary of results
58 people took part in this .
The team looked at how many people were alive after treatment. They found it was:
- 56 people at 3 months
- 41 people at 1 year
- 34 people at 2 years
They also looked at how many people had no sign of their cancer at the same time. They found it was:
- 52 people at 3 months
- 35 people at 1 year
- 30 people at 2 years
Side effects
Of the 56 people 48 had side effects. These included:
- a drop in blood cells
- problems with the blood system and lymphatic system
- problems with the digestive system including diarrhoea and feeling and being sick
- infections
- changes to the levels of minerals and salts in the blood
- low blood pressure or high blood pressure
During the cord blood transfusion 9 people had a reaction to it. These included:
- skin rash
- blood in the urine
- passing urine more often
- kidney problems
- slow heart rate
- chest pain
- testicular pain
- shortness of breath
There are 2 types of graft versus host disease (GvHD):
- acute GvHD
- chronic GvHD
The team looked at how many people had acute graft versus host disease (GvHD) and how severe it was. They found that 19 people had moderate to very severe acute GvHD.
By the end of the study 14 people had chronic GvHD:
- 12 people had limited chronic GvHD. Limited chronic means that people have local skin problems and some may have liver problems.
- 2 people had extensive chronic GvHD. Extensive GvHD means that people have general skin problems, major liver problems and some may have problems with other body organs not working properly.
Conclusion
The trial team concluded that:
- it is safe and possible for people to have a CBT
- it did help people who have a blood cancer
The team also found out more about:
- what happens when people have a CBT
- the effects that CBT has
This has increased their knowledge and understanding of using CBT to treat blood cancers.
More detailed information
There is more information about this research in the reference below.
Please note, the information we link to here is not in plain English. It has been written for healthcare professionals and researchers.
Hough R and others
Blood advances, 2022. Volume 6, issue 7, pages 2414 to 2426.
Where this information comes from
We have based this summary on the information in the article above. This has been reviewed by independent specialists () and published in a medical journal. We have not analysed the data ourselves. As far as we are aware, the link we list above is active and the article is free and available to view.
Recruitment start:
Recruitment end:
How to join a clinical trial
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Chief Investigator
Professor Rachel Hough
Supported by
British Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Chugai Pharma
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC)
NIHR Clinical Research Network: Cancer#
The Sue Harris Trust
University College London (UCL)
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
