Private Cord Blood Banking
Private Cord Blood Bank
As well as examining the potential costs and benefits of banking cord blood privately, parents need to think about the collection of the cord blood prior to their baby’s birth as they will be required to fill out medical forms, and alert hospital staff to their wishes. In most cases a kit will be sent to the patients to give to their physician at the time of labor in order for the blood to be collected. Although costs vary in different states, and across the world, most parents looking to have their baby’s cord blood stored at a private facility are looking at a cost of around $1500 for the initial collection and then approximately $100 each year for ‘maintenance’. They can, of course, choose to have the cord blood discarded if they no longer want to pay the annual fee for storage.
Two examples of private cord blood banks are the Cord Blood Registry in California, and the Cryobanks International operation in Florida. In 2010, the former charged $2195 for initial collection and $125 each year afterwards, and the latter, Cryobanks International, charged $1399 initially and $120 afterwards, with discounts for long-term prepayment. Some medical organizations are calling for a crackdown on the advertising tactics used by these facilities as they make claims such as “Saving your baby’s cord blood with CBR may be lifesaving for your family” (Cryobanks International, 2010).
If the parents donate the cord blood then they should, again, make their wishes known in order for the staff present at the birth to be ready to carry out the procedure. Most clinics require application by the 34th week of pregnancy, and there are few restrictions on who can donate. Those undergoing a C-section cannot donate cord blood due to the potential risk of infection, and women taking certain medications during pregnancy may also be prevented from donating. Anyone testing positive for sexually transmitted infections, and anyone with a family history of blood, immune, or genetic disorder is likely to be unsuitable to donate cord blood. Donation is not available at every facility, so parents need to ask in advance of choosing where the birth is to take place in order for the cord blood to be stored. In most cases the donation is cost-free, although some clinics may charge a collection fee to cover the time spent by the OB-GYN.
In the UK, the NHS Cord Blood Bank was established in 1996 to collect cord blood donations and find matching transplant recipients. The first transplant occurred in 1998. Parents have to pre-register and fill out forms prior to the birth, and the collection is only available at some hospitals where staff are present who have the correct training. The NHS Cord Blood Bank is involved in a reciprocal agreement with other countries to provide greater opportunity for patients worldwide.
Should You Bank Your Baby’s Cord Blood
Although private cord blood banks make lofty promises regarding treatment with these progenitor (stem) cells, their claims are largely unsubstantiated and parents need to be aware that the banks are mainly motivated by profit, rather than the desire to provide philanthropic medical assistance. Whilst guidelines instruct physicians to present the advice as above to parents prior to their baby’s birth, the recent advances in stem cell science may act as further encouragement for this private banking of the umbilical cord. Encouraging parents to donate cord blood means that the pool of potential donors is increased, with better treatment options for all as a result. It is, however, possible that medical science will advance in a direction of easier acquisition of stem cells – from adult tissue, instead perhaps – essentially making the banked cord blood less likely to be required. There are no guarantees of a linear progression in technological development, however.
A paper published in 2008 calculated the likelihood of a child born in the US and living to the age of 70 actually undergoing a stem cell transplant of any kind. Autologous stem cell transplant from the baby’s own cord blood had a likelihood of 1/435, an allogenic transplant from a matched donor (a sibling, for example) had a 1/400 chance, and any stem cell transplant at all had a probability of 1/217 (Nietfield, 2008). If cost is no object, and parents are aware that there is a distinct possibility that the cord blood will never be used, or may prove useless, then opting in may give them and their children greater treatment options in the future as stem cell science advances. It is a gamble, but, perhaps, a worthy one.
