Cord Blood as Graft of Choice for Difficult-to-Cure Acute Leukemia: A Roundtable Discussion

The Cord Blood as Graft of Choice for Difficult-to-Cure Acute Leukemia webinar, presented by the ASTCT Cord Blood SIG, aired on Wednesday, July 1 at 11 a.m. CT/12 p.m. ET. The speakers participated in a moderated roundtable discussion, focusing on the state-of-the-art in cord blood transplantation in high-risk disease settings, the future research and work needed.

Session Description:

The Cord blood transplantation is associated with robust graft-versus-leukemia effect, and recent data from centers with cord blood transplantation expertise have shown outstanding post-transplant outcomes, including for patients with high-risk hematologic malignancies. This webinar continues the conversation following a spotlight session hosted by the ASTCT Cord Blood SIG at Tandem 2026 on the cord blood transplantation for patients with high risk hematologic malignancies. The session will review cord blood transplantation outcome data from multiple institutions across three continents and with different patient populations, highlighting the special value of cord blood transplantation in adult and pediatric patients to mitigate disease relapse and improve transplant outcomes. The speakers will participate in a moderated roundtable discussion, focusing on the state-of-the-art in cord blood transplantation in high-risk disease settings, the future research and work needed.

Presenters:

Juliet Barker, MBBS

New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center; New York City, NY

Filippo Milano, MD, PhD

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, University of Washington; Seattle, WA

Robert Wynn, MD, MRCP

Royal Manchester Children's Hospital; Manchester, UK

Moderator:

Warren Fingrut, MD, MPH

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston, TX

Session Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of the activity, participants should be able to:

• Understand the indications for cord blood transplantation
• Synthesize cord blood transplantation outcomes data, including in high risk disease settings, from multiple centers with cord blood transplantation expertise
• Review translational work underlying the unique graft-versus-leukemia biology in cord blood transplantation.