PMID: 16620060Apr 20, 2006Paper

A study of placental umbilical cord whole blood transfusion in 72 patients with anemia and emaciation in the background of cancer

European Journal of Gynaecological Oncology
Niranjan Bhattacharya

Abstract

In the under-resourced world, transfusion to advanced oncological patients involves two major problems, i.e., (a) transfusion transmitted disease, and (b) infrastructural deficiency. Many hospitals cannot cope with the specialized requirements of immunocompromised cancer victims, for instance, leucoreduction, selective apheresis, irradiation of the blood, viral inactivation of the blood by solvent and/or detergent treatment or photochemical inactivation using psoralen or long wavelength ultraviolet light and cytomegalovirus safe blood. The exorbitant cost of red blood cell (RBC) substitutes like hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers or perflurocarbon emulsions, liposome encapsulated hemoglobin, is simply unacceptable for an average oncological patient in the developing world. Moreover, it should be underscored that none of the total blood functions are replaced by any available so-called blood substitute, the primary function of which is oxygen delivery and volume expansion only. A more accurate term should be red cell substitute. Cord blood, because of its rich mix of fetal and adult hemoglobin, platelet and white blood cell (WBC) count, and plasma filled with cytokine and growth factors--as well as its hypoantigenic nature and alt...Continue Reading

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Cancer Metabolism

In order for cancer cells to maintain rapid, uncontrolled cell proliferation, they must acquire a source of energy. Cancer cells acquire metabolic energy from their surrounding environment and utilize the host cell nutrients to do so. Here is the latest research on cancer metabolism.

Anemia

Anemia develops when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells. Anemia of inflammation (AI, also called anemia of chronic disease) is a common, typically normocytic, normochromic anemia that is caused by an underlying inflammatory disease. Here is the latest research on anemia.