Dictionary of Cancer Terms
View in Spanish: Trasplante de sangre placentaria
Placental blood transplantation (pluh-SEN-tul blud tranz-plan-TAY-shun)
The transfer of blood from a placenta to an individual whose own blood production system is suppressed. Placental blood contains high levels of stem cells needed to produce new blood cells. It is being studied in the treatment of cancer and severe blood disorders such as aplastic anemia.
Source: National Cancer Institute Dictionary of Cancer Terms, available at www.cancer.gov/dictionary.