Approach to radiation therapy in the Jehovah's Witness patient: An overview

James M Jurica; Jay A Messer; Bin S Teh; Brian E Butler; Andrew M Farach

doi:10.1016/j.rpor.2020.08.014

Approach to radiation therapy in the Jehovah's Witness patient: An overview

Rep Pract Oncol Radiother. 2020 Nov-Dec;25(6):856-859. doi: 10.1016/j.rpor.2020.08.014. Epub 2020 Aug 25.

Authors

James M Jurica^{1

2}, Jay A Messer^{2

3}, Bin S Teh¹, Brian E Butler¹, Andrew M Farach¹

Affiliations

¹ Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.
² Department of Radiation Oncology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.
³ Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States.

Abstract

Jehovah's Witnesses are well-known in the medical community for their inability to accept blood products. Novel methods of treatment are often needed to avoid anemia and hematologic toxicity as inability to receive blood products may increase the risk of treatment related complications. We provide an overview of radiation treatment for Jehovah's Witness patients with an emphasis on bone marrow sparing strategies with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to minimize hematologic toxicity.

Keywords: Anemia; BMS-IMRT; Bone marrow sparing; Hematologic toxicity; Jehovah witness; Radiation oncology.

Publication types

Review