Abstract: Umbilical cord blood (CB) has now become one of the most commonly used sources of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for allogeneic transplantation. Substantial advances have been made resulting in better outcomes for patients. Many studies have shown a decreased relapse rate and a reduced chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) rate with an increased GVHD-free/relapse-free survival (GRFS) rate and better quality of life after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (HCT) with CB compared with other donor sources. With the technical improvement of cord blood transplantation (CBT), unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) is being gradually used to treat a wider range of patients, such as those with non-hematological malignancies and aged patients. This paper reviewed the current status of diagnosis and treatment of UCBT.

Key words: umbilical cord blood transplantation, graft versus host disease, graft versus leukemia