Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation procedures have been successfully resumed at the University Clinical Center Tuzla (UKC Tuzla).
The Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation team recently performed an allogeneic transplant on a 29-year-old patient undergoing treatment for relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma.
The University Clinical Center Tuzla remains the only healthcare institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina where this highly complex treatment is available. However, allogeneic transplants had been temporarily suspended in recent years due to technical reasons.
According to Dr. sci. med. Azra Jahić Žugić, specialist in internal medicine and subspecialist in hematology, head of the Clinic for Hematology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and the Transplantation Team at UKC Tuzla, the Center has now fully resumed performing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation procedures.
“The Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Team at the University Clinical Center Tuzla performed an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation on August 18, 2025. The procedure was carried out on a 29-year-old patient with relapsing Hodgkin lymphoma, using stem cells from the patient’s brother, who was a 100% HLA-matched related donor. Thirteen days after the transplantation, graft acceptance was confirmed, marking the procedure as successful. The patient is currently in the early post-transplant phase and remains without complications,” said Dr. sci. med. Azra Jahić Žugić, specialist in internal medicine and subspecialist in hematology, head of the Clinic for Hematology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and of the Transplantation Team at UKC Tuzla.
Dr. Jahić Žugić further explained that the process of donor stem cell collection at UKC Tuzla was modernized this year. For the first time, the freezing of collected donor stem cell products has been introduced, aligning the Center with a method that has been widely adopted worldwide in recent years. This approach reduces risks for patients and enhances the safety of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.”
The Clinic for Hematology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation at the University Clinical Center Tuzla has been continuously performing hematopoietic stem cell transplantations for the past 21 years, in close cooperation with the Polyclinic for Transfusion Medicine, which is responsible for stem cell collection and cryopreservation, and the Polyclinic for Laboratory Diagnostics, Flow Cytometry Department, which ensures precise counting of hematopoietic stem cells in the transplant product.
The transplantation program at UKC Tuzla brings together experts from multiple medical specialties, forming a multidisciplinary team without whom the complex transplantation process would not be possible.
To date, the Clinic has successfully performed 200 hematopoietic stem cell transplantations. In 2025 alone, 12 procedures have already been completed within the first eight months, a record number for this period. According to the head of the Clinic, at least five additional transplantations are planned by the end of the year.
The Director of the University Clinical Center Tuzla, Prof. Dr. Šekib Umihanić, emphasized that the development of transplantation medicine is one of the strategic priorities of the institution. He announced that, in the coming period, efforts will be directed toward ensuring that allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from a 100% HLA-matched related donor (a patient’s sibling) is once again fully available at UKC Tuzla.
According to Prof. Umihanić, this will not only benefit patients from Tuzla Canton but also those from other cantons of the Federation of BiH, thereby eliminating the need to refer patients abroad for this type of transplantation.
