Report of the eurocord registry

Abstract

Eurocord is an international registry operating on behalf of the European Blood and Marrow Transplant Group (EBMT) and supported by a European Concerted Action. Participation is open to both European and non-European centres conducting cord blood transplants. Eurocord Registry works in close collaboration with the Netcord banks, mainly European banks. On July 99, 475 cord blood transplants were reported from 110 transplant centres in 30 countries in Europe (n= 352), North American (n=67), South America (n=30), Asia (n= 18) and Oceania (n=18). The transplants were performed from October 88 to July 99. One hundred twenty six patients, mainly children (n=123), received a cord blood from their relatives. Sixty nine children were transplanted for haematologic malignancies, 23 aplastic anaemia, 20 haemoglobinopathies and 11 for metabolic and immunodeficiencies. Unrelated transplants were performed in 349 patients. Two hundred fifty three were children (<15 y) and 96 were adults. In the paediatric group, 143 patients received a CBT for leukaemia, 19 for a MDS, 13 for a juvenile LMC, 7 for NHL and other malignancies, 21 for aplastic anaemia and 50 for metabolic and immunodefiencies. In the adult group, 47 patients had acute leukaemia, 6 MDS, 35 CML, 5 lymphoma and 3 aplastic anaemia. Most of the cord blood units (n=212) were delivered by European banks: Dusseldorf Cord Blood Bank (CBB) (n=79); Milan CBB (n=76); Barcelona CBB (n=36); French CBB (n=9); London CBB (n=4); Belgium CBB (n=7); and other banks (n=2). One hundred thirty units were delivered by American banks (NYCBB=115) and seven units from Japanese banks. Other objectives of the Eurocrod group are to analyse clinical results in specific diseases, to compare cord blood transplants with alternative conventional blood and bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell transplants and to study the biology and expansion of cord blood cells.