The Advantages of Using Peripheral Blood as a Source of Stem Cells

In this fourth segment of an interview with Managed Healthcare Executive, Antonio Jimenez Jimenez, M.D., of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, discusses the advantages of using peripheral blood stem cells, which can be collected from the blood, for stem cell transplants over collecting stem cells from bone marrow. "It's easier and safer for the donor, for sure, and there is a big emphasis on improving outcomes for patients but also keeping them very safe and easier for donors."

One drawback of using stem cells from peripheral blood has been a greater risk of graft-vs-host disease (GVHD), but Jimenez Jimenez says study results have shown that improved GVHD prophylaxis with post-transplant cyclophosphamide has lowered that risk. He says there are other advantages of use peripheral blood stem cells, including uniformity across centers and, some would argue, a lower risk of relapse.