Infusion of allogeneic umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells in patients with chemotherapy-related myelosuppression

Chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression is one of the main problems in the treatment of cancer. In the present study, the effects of allogeneic umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cell (UCB-HSC) infusion were investigated on the treatment of chemotherapy-related myelosuppression. In total, 65 patients (male, 42; female, 23) diagnosed with chemotherapy-related myelosuppression were included in the study. The majority of the patients were classified with stage II myelosupression at enrolment, and an average concentration of 7.07×109/l UCB-HSCs were transfused through the peripheral vein. The minimum values of the white blood cell (WBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb) level, platelet (PLT) count and Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scores were recorded prior to and between days 7 and 14 following UCB-HSC infusion. When assessing the overall data, the results revealed that the mean WBC and PLT counts increased significantly following UCB-HSC infusion. However, the subgroup analyses based on gender and KPS score revealed that UCB-HSC infusion was more successful in male patients and those with a higher KPS score. Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a linear correlation between the number of transfused UCB-HSCs and the changes in the WBC and PLT counts following treatment. In conclusion, the results indicated that peripheral vein infusion of non-human leukocyte antigen matched UCB-HSCs can markedly improve chemotherapy-related myelosuppression in a safe and effective manner.