Myeloablative therapy and bone marrow transplantation in jehovah's witnesses with malignancies: single center experience

SUMMARY: Hematological malignancies in Jehovah's Witnesses are often difficult to cure since these patients deny transfusions. By a retrospective analysis, we report the possibility of

treating some tumors, mostly hematological, with either autologous or allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) without blood support. Eight patients were evaluated, including lymphoma

(two patients), acute lymphoblastic (one patient) and myeloblastic (one patient) leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (one patient), refractory anemia with blasts in transformation (one

patient), chronic myeloid leukemia (one patient) and metastatic breast cancer (one patient). All patients experienced a severe cytopenia with no major side effects or life-threatening

complications. We had four deaths: three from relapse and progression of the disease (at 5, 8 and 15 months after the stem cell infusion), and one from acute intestinal GVHD (at 2 months

after the stem cell infusion). Four patients are in complete clinical remission (at 8, 10, 16 and 26 months after the stem cell infusion), and this was related to the disease outcome. We

conclude that autologous and allogeneic BMT are feasible without the support of transfusions. We believe that this should be performed as soon as possible in the course of the disease.

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Complessa di Ematologia, Azienda Ospedaliera SS.Annunziata, Taranto, Italy P Mazza, A Prudenzano, B Amurri, G Palazzo, G Pisapia, L Stani & G Pricolo Authors * P Mazza View author

publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * A Prudenzano View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * B Amurri View

author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * G Palazzo View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * G Pisapia

View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * L Stani View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * G

Pricolo View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to P Mazza. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Mazza, P., Prudenzano, A., Amurri, B. _et al._ Myeloablative therapy and bone marrow transplantation in Jehovah's Witnesses with malignancies:

single center experience. _Bone Marrow Transplant_ 32, 433–436 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1704179 Download citation * Received: 18 December 2002 * Accepted: 26 April 2003 *

Published: 05 August 2003 * Issue Date: 01 August 2003 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1704179 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this

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KEYWORDS * Jehovah's Witnesses * blood transfusion