Physicians to disclose public, private cord blood bank differences to patients.
Physicians "are being encouraged to tell pregnant patients considering umbilical cord blood banking about the advantages and disadvantages of public versus private cord blood banks," according to new guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) which are published in the February issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
The group stated that physicians "who recruit patients for for-profit cord blood banks should disclose their financial interests or other potential conflicts of interest to patients and their families."
Typically, "private facilities were developed to store umbilical cord blood stem cells from newborns for potential future use by the same child or a family member in case of disease."
In contrast, many public banks "store, for free, stem cells that can be used by anyone who needs them."
Therefore, ACOG recommends that physicians inform patients that neither their children, nor other relatives, would necessarily be treated with stem cells stored at public banks.
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