The Results of Patients with b Thalassemia Major Undergoing Peripheral Blood Stem Cell From Alternative Donor: New Conditioning Regimen for Thalassemia

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains the only potentially curative treatment for thalassemia patients, However, most candidates for HSCT do not have a suitable family donor. In order to evaluate whether HSCT from an HLA–well -matched alternative donor can offer a probability of cure comparable to that of HSCT from sibling donor. The new conditioning regimen and peripheral blood stem cell transplant (PBSCT) from alternative donor (NF-08-thalassemia protocol) were used for b thalassemia patients. The improved outcome was summarized here.

To evaluate the overall survival (OS), thalassemia-free survival (TFS), rejection (RE) and transplant related mortality (TRM) of NF-08-thalassemia protocol.

Patients and Methods: Sixty-one thalassemia patients, 42 male and 19 female (median age, 7 years; age range, 3–15 years), were transplanted from 56 (32 patients were 8/8 and 24 patients 7/8 locus matched at HLA-A, B, Cw and DRB1) unrelated and 5 (1 patient 8/8 and 4 patients 7/8 antigen matched) parents donors from Oct.2008 to Jan.2011(median follow-up time, 14 months; range, 6–31months). NF-08-thalassemia protocol included Cyclosphosphamide (d-10 to d-9), Busulfan (d-7 to d-5), Thiotepa (d-4), Fludarabine (d-8 to d-4) and ATG (d-3 to d-1). PBSCs from unrelated (56 cases) and parents (5 cases) donor were used as only source of stem cells in all patients. GVHD prophylaxis included Cs A, MMF and sMTX.

OS, DFS and TRM in the cohort of 61 patients were 91.8%, 90.2% and 8.2%, respectively. Only one rejected his graft two months after transplantation. Acute GVHD III∼IV was 8.2% (5 patients) and none suffered from extensive chronic GVHD. Three patients died of acute GVHD and two died of the infection after transplantation.

In comparing this alternative donor HSCT with sibling donor HSCT (30 patients, using the same protocol, meanwhile), OS, TFS, RE and TRM were 91.8% vs. 85.9% (P=0.401), 90.2% vs. 79.2% (p=0.147), 1.6% vs. 6.9% (p=0.197) and 8.2%vs.14.1%, respectively. No significant difference was found.

The results of alternative donor HSCT for b thalassemia patients are comparable with sibling donor transplant with using NF-08-thalassemia protocol.

Li:Qi fa Liu: Workmates.