Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, believe that if further trials prove successful, a single bank of T-cells could serve as a global source of immune cells to treat the condition.

BBC: NEWS | Health | Cancer tackled in organ patients

Another therapeutic possibility is giving a patient an IV of stem cells, which would come from a stem cell bank or a company.

CNN: Stem cells may offer promise for damaged hearts

Professor Barry said data suggested that the number of cases where stem cells were retrieved from the cord cell bank was still quite small.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | Mother's stem cell hopes for baby

Arthur Caplan, Professor of Bioethics at University of Pennsylvania, and Robin Smith, CEO of NeoStem, U.S. based firm which helps people bank their own stem cells for possible future use.

FORBES: Vatican Stem Cell Conference Gets Thin Coverage