Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Case Report
  • Published:

Transfusion-free reduced-intensity conditioned allogeneic stem cell transplantation in a Jehovah's witness

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 32, pages 437–438 (2003)Cite this article

Summary:

With an estimated 6 000 000 Jehovah's witnesses worldwide, haematologists may encounter patients who decline blood transfusions as a matter of personal belief. Here, we describe the first case of a transfusion-free allogeneic stem cell transplant (SCT) in a Jehovah's witness with CML. The patient underwent HLA-identical peripheral blood SCT after reduced-intensity conditioning with total body irradiation and fludarabine. Conditioning and the period after transplantation were uneventful, complete donor chimerism was achieved and the patient continues to be in molecular remission without significant chronic graft-versus-host disease. When treating Jehovah's witnesses with diseases that may be cured by allogeneic SCT, this approach should be kept in mind.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Muramoto O . Bioethical aspects of the recent changes in the policy of refusal of blood by Jehovah's witnesses. BMJ 2001; 322: 37–39.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. McSweeney PA, Niederwieser D, Shizuru JA et al. Hematopoietic cell transplantation in older patients with hematologic malignancies: replacing high-dose cytotoxic therapy with graft-versus-tumor effects. Blood 2001; 97: 3390–3400.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Childs R, Epperson D, Bahceci E et al. Molecular remission of chronic myeloid leukaemia following a non-myeloablative allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplant: in vivo and in vitro evidence for a graft-versus-leukaemia effect. Br J Haematol 1999; 107: 396–400.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Mazza P, Palazzo G, Amurri B et al. Acute leukemia in Jehovah's Witnesses: a challenge for hematologists. Haematologica 2000; 85: 1221–2.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Marsh JCW, Bevan DH . Haematological care of the Jehovah's Witness patient. Br J Haematol. 2002; 119: 25–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany

    T Zenz, H Döhner & D Bunjes

Authors
  1. T Zenz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H Döhner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. D Bunjes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zenz, T., Döhner, H. & Bunjes, D. Transfusion-free reduced-intensity conditioned allogeneic stem cell transplantation in a Jehovah's witness. Bone Marrow Transplant 32, 437–438 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1704121

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1704121

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links