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| WHAT
IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STEM CELL TRANSPLANT AND BONE MARROW
TRANSPLANT? |
Until now,
the most common way to transfer stem cells from one person
to another has been through a bone marrow transplantation,
which is a complex and risky procedure. Cord blood transplantation
eliminates many of the problems associated with bone
marrow transplants should your child need this treatment
sometime in the future. With the availability of your
child’s own cord blood stem cells, you do not have
to look for a suitable match; the painful bone marrow
extraction procedure will not be necessary, and the transplant
will not be rejected. |
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WHEN
AND HOW DO YOU COLLECT THE CORD BLOOD STEM CELLS?
|
The collection
process takes place after delivery when the cord has
been separated from your newborn infant and in no way
interferes with the birth of your baby. The cord blood
is collected by your attending physician, nurse or midwife
into a special, sterile kit, which has been provided
by the Blood Center. The collected cord blood is sealed
in a specially designed package and delivered to our
laboratory for testing, processing and stored in a special
freezer. |
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| HOW
SAFE IS THIS FOR MY BABY, AND ME? |
| The first priority is the
care and well being of the mother and the baby. This procedure
is very safe because the blood is collected after the cord has
been separated from you and your baby. |
DOES IT HURT
MY BABY OR ME? IF IT DOESN’T HURT WILL EITHER OF
US FEEL IT? |
|
Neither you
nor your baby will feel anything since this procedure is
only done after the cord has been detached. |
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| WHY
SHOULD I PRESERVE MY BABY’S CORD BLOOD? |
During pregnancy, the umbilical
cord is the lifeline between mother and baby. Once the umbilical
cord is discarded after your baby’s birth, you lose the
chance to preserve these precious cells that are an exact match
for your child. Preserve your baby’s “treasure” of
stem cells so you will have a life saving protection against
diseases with a guaranteed match in the event that a life threatening
disease develops; for your child or a sibling. |
| WHAT
DISEASES CAN BE HELPED/CURED THROUGH THE TRANSPLANTATION OF
THESE CELLS? |
Today, stem cells
are used in the treatment of leukemia, breast cancer, lymphoma,
Hodgkin’s Disease, Aplastic Anemia, various other cancers,
blood diseases, hereditary/genetic conditions and immune system
disorders. There are approximately 1.4 million new cancer cases
each year. As stem cell transplants become more routine they
may be used to fight lung cancer, Sickle Cell Anemia, Multiple
Sclerosis, Lupus, AIDS and many genetic diseases. |
| IF
I DON’T WISH TO PRESERVE THE CORD BLOOD FOR MY BABY,
WHAT HAPPENS TO IT? CAN I DONATE IT SO SOME OTHER CHILD OR
ADULT COULD BENEFIT? |
| Yes. The umbilical cord is
routinely discarded after the birth. You can preserve these life
saving stem cells by donating them to the Blood Center so they
could become a lifeline for another child or adult suffering
from a life-threatening illness. The Blood Center does not charge
for this option |
| HOW
MANY AND WHAT TESTS ARE DONE ON THE BLOOD? |
| The FDA requires eight tests
to be preformed on the mother’s blood and the cord blood.
We conduct all eight tests and an additional three tests; one
for bacterial contaminants to make sure that the product from
the cord blood is sterile, and the other two are to determine
the number and viability of stem cells in the cord blood. |
| DO
WE GET THE RESULTS OF ANY TESTS THAT ARE DONE? WHAT TYPE OF
FOLLOW UP IS THERE? |
| The parents, upon signing a release form,
can receive the test results. |
| HOW
LONG CAN THESE CELLS BE STORED AND STILL BE USABLE? |
| Research suggests that these
cells could last indefinitely. |
| WHY
SHOULD I PRESERVE MY BABY’S CORD BLOOD? |
| When there is a history of any of the listed
diseases in the family, having a perfect stem cell match is future
protection for your baby; preserving these cells is insurance,
should any of these diseases develop over time, even though no
history exists. |
| IF,
AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE, MY CHILD OR OTHER FAMILY MEMBER
NEEDS THESE CELLS, CAN WE CLAIM THEM? |
The cells are uniquely labeled, (Option one-when
saving for family storage), no one can access these cells except
you or your child. If the cells are donated, they may still be
available in our public bank. If the cells are no longer in our
bank, we will help your family track down the closest matching
unit. |
| IF
THERE IS A HISTORY OF A DISEASE IN THE FAMILY, SUCH AS LEUKEMIA,
WOULD IT BE IN THE GENES? IF SO, WOULD STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION
FROM THE CORD BLOOD STILL BE AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO TREAT THE
DISEASE? |
Leukemia is not present at the
beginning of life, but is developed by mutation or change in
normal genes later in life. Stem cells in cord blood represent
cells before any changes have occurred in their genes. In case
of other types of cancers (e.g. solid tumors), stem cells are
not involved and can be used for transplantation. |
| CAN THE BABY’S STEM CELLS
BE USED FOR THE SECOND BABY AND VICE VERSA? ALSO FOR A RELATIVE
OR FRIEND? |
Stem cells from a baby are a
perfect match only for the baby or for an identical twin. They
may be a close match for a second baby (1:4 chance). Relative
and friend’s cells have to match or closely match the baby’s
type in order to be useful. |
| WHAT
STEPS DO I HAVE TO TAKE TO BECOME REGISTERED IN THIS PROGRAM? |
| To preserve the
stem cells for your baby, or to donate them to the community,
complete the Registrations Form, Questionnaire and the Consent
Form. Call the Blood Center at 201-444-3900 or 1-866-SAVCORD
for paperwork and information. |
| HOW
LONG PRIOR TO MY DUE DATE SHOULD THE APPLICATION BE COMPLETED? |
To preserve the cord blood stem cells for
your baby or to donate to the community, we prefer that you contact
us at least four weeks prior to your due date, which gives you
time to review the materials and ask questions. However, you
can decide closer to your due date. |
| IS
THERE A FEE FOR THIS PROCEDURE? |
There is no fee for donating
to the community. If you decide to save the cord blood for your
family, there is a one-time fee for the collection kit, collection,
processing, all associated tests and an annual storage fee. Cord
blood stem cells are processed, tested, stored, monitored and
are available immediately upon request. |
| WHEN
IS THE FEE DUE? |
Approximately one month after the successful
collection, testing and processing of the cord blood with the
option of selecting the payment plan. |
| WHAT
IF YOU CAN’T RETRIEVE THE CELLS FROM THE CORD AT BIRTH,
WILL I STILL HAVE TO PAY THE ENTIRE FEE OR PART OF THE FEE? |
| If the collection is not successful
there is absolutely no fee charged. |
| WILL
IT BE COVERED BY MY MEDICAL PLAN? |
| Covering this procedure is
under investigation by some health plans and as this procedure
becomes routine it will probably be covered by most medical plans. |
| IS
THIS SOMETHING MY INSURANCE COMPANY SHOULD BE INFORMED OF? |
| You should alert your medical
insurance plan provider that you are participating in the cord
blood program. |
| WHAT
IS THE MEDICAL CRITERIA TO ENTER THESE PROGRAMS? |
The baby is born full-term (>36
weeks). |
| WHAT HAPPENS
IF IT IS A MULTIPLE BIRTH? |
| This is decided on a case-by-case basis. |
| WHEN I’M IN LABOR OR ABOUT TO DELIVER,
I’M NOT LIKELY TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT ANY EXTRA DETAILS.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I ARRIVE AT THE HOSPITAL? |
You just carry the kit we have given you to
the delivery room, the cord blood will be collected and the
Blood Center will pick it up from the hospital. If the donation
is for the community, the same procedure will be followed.
|
ARE THE DOCTORS/NURSES
AT MY HOSPITAL FAMILIAR WITH THE COLLECTION PROCESS? |
After you register into the program with the
Blood Center, you should discuss this with your physician. |
AFTER THE BABY HAS BEEN
DELIVERED AND THE PROCEDURE OF COLLECTING THE CELLS HAS BEEN
COMPLETED, HOW DO THEY GET TO THE BLOOD CENTER? |
| After collection, the hospital will call
the Blood Center (24 hour service) and we will pick it up, bring
it to the Center and begin the processing procedure. |
| ARE
YOU LICENSED TO PERFORM THIS PROCEDURE? |
| Yes, we are licensed by the New Jersey
Department of Health, New York Health department and we have
an accreditation by the American Association of Blood Banks.
We are registered with the FDA. |
| AREN’T
THERE COMPANIES WHO DO THIS? |
| Yes, there are for-profit companies licensed
in both New York and New Jersey. |
| WHY
SHOULD WE CHOOSE THE BLOOD CENTER? |
| Bergen Community Regional Blood Center
(BCRBC), founded in 1953, is a not-for-profit organization devoted
to serve the needs of the community in the area of transfusion
medicine. The BCRBC collects, tests and distributes blood and
blood products to approximately 37 hospitals, medical centers
in New Jersey and New York. |
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