cord and placenta, in case that child or another family member ever needs it to treat cancer

Expectant parents are being urged to do so by companies that have sprung up during the

past few years to sell cord-blood banking as a form of "biological insurance" against such

dreaded diseases. The pitch is based on reports in medical journals, such as a major study

published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, showing that cord blood can

sometimes be used in place of a bone marrow transplant.

Like bone marrow, cord blood is rich in stem cells, which can churn out many different

types of cells to rebuild a patient's blood supply and immune system after high doses of

radiation and chemotherapy. And a patient's own cord blood, or that from a relative, is

more likely than cord blood from an unrelated donor to be a good tissue match and to be

Some experts in bone-marrow transplantation and blood banking frown on the cord-blood

business, arguing that people are being frightened into wasting money on a servic

treated with his infant brother's cord blood in August, and has been declared free of

The idea of saving one's own cord blood seems to be catching on. Cord Blood Registry,

have specially trained staff members to collect the blood.

not have that effect, and in some cases even a sibling's might not.

medical treatment, said Kaesshaefer. All eight samples were used for siblings or relatives,

Some common words found in the essay are:
Journal Medicine, University Joshua, Blood Registry, DENISE GRADY, Blood Center, Arizona Customers, Los Angeles, cord blood, York Times, Center Manhattan, Bruno Calif, bone marrow, own cord, own cord blood, blood bank, blood registry, cord blood registry, cord-blood banking, york blood center, private companies, cord-blood companies, marrow cord blood, person's own, unrelated donor, person's own cord,
Approximate Word count = 1236
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)