Autologous Stem-Cell Transplantation Without Hematopoietic Support for the Treatment of Hematologic Malignancies in Jehovah's Witnesses

Purpose Autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) has shown to provide curative benefit in patients with relapsed lymphoma and multiple myeloma (MM), often requiring hematopoietic support until marrow engraftment. Because of Jehovah's Witnesses' (JW) refusal of blood products, treatment challenges arise. This study represents 125 JWs with lymphoma (n = 55), MM (n = 68), or amyloidosis (n = 2), treated with high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and ASCT without transfusions. Patients and Methods Priming with intravenous iron and erythropoietin occurred to increase hemoglobin (Hb) pretransplantation. Cytokine mobilization of stem-cells was used. Delay to HDC was done to allow Hb and platelets to approach 11 g/dL and 100 × 103/μL, respectively. Patients with MM received a standard dose of melphalan 200 mg/m2, with dose reduction for severe kidney dysfunction. Patients with lymphoma received carmustine 300 mg/m2, cyclophosphamide 1,500 mg/m2 on days 2 through 5 (total 6 g/m2), and etoposide 700 mg/m2 per day on days...