Lab-Grown stem cells could speed immune recovery in blood cancer transplants

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients 10 to 65 years old with a hematologic malignancy in need of hematopoietic cell transplant who are \> 30 kg and without a suitable related donor * Patient must have hematologic malignancy that meets institutional eligibility requirements for cord blood transplant * Malignancies included are: * Acute leukemia, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), biphenotypic acute leukemia or mixed-lineage leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); all patients must be in complete response (CR) as defined by \< 5% blasts by morphology/flow cytometry in a representative bone marrow sample with adequate cellularity to assess remission status * Myelodysplasia (MDS) International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) intermediate (Int)-2 or high risk (i.e., refractory anemia with excess blasts \[RAEB\], refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation \[RAEBt\]) or refractory anemia with severe pancytopenia or high risk cytogenetics; blasts must be \< 10% in a representative bone marrow aspirate * Chronic myeloid leukemia excluding refractory blast crisis; to be eligible in first chronic phase (CP1) patient must have failed or be intolerant to tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy * High dose TBI regimen: 10 to =\< 45 years * Intermediate intensity regimen: 10 to =\< 65 years * Patients 10 to =\< 45 years: Lansky (\< 16 years old) or Karnofsky (\>= 16 years old) \>= 70 or Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 0-1 * Patients \> 45 to =\< 65 years: Karnofsky \>= 70 or ECOG 0-1 and non-age adjusted comorbidity index =\< 5 * Adults: Calculated creatinine clearance must be \> 60 mL and serum creatinine =\< 2 mg/dL * Children (\< 18 years old): Calculated creatinine clearance must be \> 60 mL/min * Total serum bilirubin must be \< 3 mg/dL unless the elevation is thought to be due to Gilbert's disease or hemolysis * Transaminases must be \< 3 x the upper limit of normal per reference values of treating institution * Carbon monoxide diffusing capability (DLCO) corrected \>= 60% normal (may not be on supplemental oxygen) * For pediatric patients unable to perform pulmonary function tests, O2 saturation \> 92% on room air * Left ventricular ejection fraction \>= 50% OR * Shortening fraction \> 26% * Ability of participant or legally authorized representative to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent form * DONOR: Minimum requirement: The cord blood (CB) unit must be matched at a minimum at 4/6 HLA-A, B antigens and DRB1 allele with the recipient; therefore, 0-2 mismatches at the A or B or DRB1 loci based on intermediate resolution at HLA-A, B and high resolution allele level typing at HLA- DRB1 are allowed * DONOR: Institutional guidelines for HLA-match may be followed as long as the minimum criteria for HLA-matching as above are met * DONOR: The CB unit selected for transplant must have a MINIMUM of 2.5 x 10\^7 TNC/kg * DONOR: The minimum recommended CD34/kg cell dose is 1.7 x 10\^5 CD34/kg * DONOR: A backup unit must be identified and reserved prior to the start of the treatment plan for possible infusion in the unlikely event of poor post-thaw viability of the primary CB unit. A suitable back up unit will be considered, as follows: * Must be matched at a minimum at 4/6 HLA-A, B, DRBl loci with the recipient. Therefore 0-2 mismatches at the A or B or DRBl loci based on intermediate resolution A, B antigen and DRBl allele typing for determination of HLA-match is allowed (Fred Hutch Protocol 2010). * Must contain a MINIMUM of 1.5 x 10\^7 TNC/kg to ensure the same requirement we use for a standard double CBT per CB selection guideline (Fred Hutch Protocol 2010). Exclusion Criteria: * Uncontrolled viral or bacterial infection at the time of study enrollment * Active or recent (prior 6 month) invasive fungal infection unless cleared by infectious disease (ID) consult * History of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection * Pregnant or breastfeeding * Prior allogeneic transplant * Central nervous system (CNS) leukemic involvement not clearing with intrathecal chemotherapy; diagnostic lumbar puncture is to be performed * \< 30 kg