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The blood-forming stem cells used for cancer therapy are called hematopoietic stem cells. They constitute less than one in 1,00,000 bone marrow cells. They look like small lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell in the vertebrate immune system) and cannot be easily distinguished. These cells are capable of self-renewal as well as production of progenitor cells, which differentiate into mature blood cells. Bone marrow, peripheral blood (the blood returning to the heart) and cord blood (obtained from the umbilical cord at birth) are three good sources of hematopoietic stem cells.