Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria and Marrow Failure Treated by Infusion of Marrow from an Identical Twin

  1. A. FEFER, M.D.;
  2. H. FREEMAN, M.D.;
  3. R. STORB, M.D.;
  4. J. HILL, M.D.;
  5. J. SINGER, M.D.;
  6. A. EDWARDS, M.D., F.A.C.P.; and
  7. E. THOMAS, M.D.
  1. Seattle, Washington; and Edmonton, Alberta,
    Canada

    Abstract

    An 18-year-old white Canadian male patient with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria and refractory marrow failure received a marrow infusion from his normal identical twin brother without prior ablation of the patient's marrow by drugs or irradiation. After 2 years of follow-up, the patient is well with no evidence of clinical disease or significant hematological abnormality. The results suggest that normal marrow stem cells can have a selective advantage over the abnormal paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria clone.

    Article and Author Information

    • ▸From the Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington; and the Departments of Internal Medicine and Clinical Pathology, University of Alberta Hospital and School of Medicine, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

    • Grant support: Grants CA 10895, CA 05231, CA 15704 from the National Cancer Institute and RR-37 from the General Clinical Research Center, National Institutes of Health. Dr. Fefer is a Scholar of the Leukemia Society of America and a Sinsheimer Fellow. Dr. Freeman was supported during a portion of this work as a Medical Research Council of Canada Fellow. Dr. Thomas is a recipient of Research Cancer Award AI 02425 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

    • ▸Requests for reprints should be addressed to Alexander Fefer, M.D.; Department of Medicine, University of Washington; Seattle, WA 98195.

      • Received September 2, 1975.
      • Accepted February 18, 1976.
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