ATG for cord blood transplant: Yes or no?

Abstract

In this issue of Blood, Lindemans et al report on the impact of thymoglobulin (antithymocyte globulin [ATG]) during the preparative regimen for pediatric unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT). Survival and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were similar whether or not patients received ATG. The patients who did not receive ATG had a lower rate of viral infections but an increased rate of acute GVHD. © 2014 by The American Society of Hematology.