0000000000003130
AUTHOR
Saveria Campisi
Improving survival with deferiprone treatment in patients with thalassemia major: A prospective multicenter randomised clinical trial under the auspices of the Italian Society for Thalassemia and Hemoglobinopathies
The prognosis for thalassemia major has dramatically improved in the last two decades. However, many transfusion-dependent patients continue to develop progressive accumulation of iron. This can lead to tissue damage and eventually death, particularly from cardiac disease. Previous studies that investigated iron chelation treatments, including retrospective and prospective non-randomised clinical trials, suggested that mortality, due mainly to cardiac damage, was reduced or completely absent in patients treated with deferiprone (DFP) alone or a combined deferiprone-deferoxamine (DFP-DFO) chelation treatment. However, no survival analysis has been reported for a long-term randomised control …
Feasibility, reproducibility, and reliability for the T*2 iron evaluation at 3 T in comparison with 1.5 T
This study aimed to determine the feasibility, reproducibility, and reliability of the multiecho T * 2 Magnetic resonance imaging technique at 3 T for myocardial and liver iron burden quantification and the relationship between T * 2 values at 3 and 1.5 T. Thirty-eight transfusion-dependent patients and 20 healthy subjects were studied. Cardiac segmental and global T * 2 values were calculated after developing a correction map to compensate the artifactual T * 2 variations. The hepatic T * 2 value was determined over a region of interest. The intraoperator and interoperator reproducibility for T * 2 measurements at 3 T was good. A linear relationship was found between patients' R (1000/T * …
Long-Term Use of Deferiprone Enhances Significantly the Left Ventricular Ejection Function in Thalassemia Major
Abstract Abstract 5302 Background: A multicentre randomized controlled trial (RCT) was designed to assess the effectiveness of long-term sequential deferiprone-deferoxamine (DFO-DFP) versus DFP alone to treat thalassaemia major (TM) (Maggio et al.,2009). Effectviness, survival, adverse events and costs were comparable between the groups. These findings were confirmed in a further 21-month follow-up (Pantalone et al., 2011). Moreover, deferiprone-alone has been reported to be superior to deferoxamine for the removal of cardiac iron and improvement in left ventricular ejection function (LVEF). However, little is known of its relative effect on LVEF after long-term treatment. Therefore, data f…
Cardiac and hepatic iron and ejection fraction in thalassemia major: Multicentre prospective comparison of combined Deferiprone and Deferoxamine therapy against Deferiprone or Deferoxamine Monotherapy
Background: Due to the limited data available in literature, the aim of this multi-centre study was to prospectively compare in thalassemia major (TM) patients the efficacy of combined deferiprone (DFP) and deferoxamine (DFO) regimen versus either DFP and DFO in monotherapy by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) over a follow up of 18 months. Methods: Among the first 1135 TM patients in the MIOT (Myocardial Iron Overload in Thalassemia) network, we evaluated those who had received either combined regimen (DFO + DFP, N=51) or DFP (N=39) and DFO (N=74) monotherapies between the two CMR scans. Iron overload was measured by T2* multiecho technique. Biventricular function parameters were qua…
Long-term sequential deferiprone-deferoxamine versus deferiprone alone for thalassemia major patients: a randomised clinical trial
A multicentre randomized open-label trial was designed to assess the effectiveness of long-term sequential deferiprone–deferoxamine (DFO–DFP) versus DFP alone to treat thalassaemia major (TM). DFP at 75 mg/kg, divided into three oral daily doses, for 4 d/week and DFO by subcutaneous infusion (8–12 h) at 50 mg/kg per day for the remaining 3 d/week was compared with DFP alone at 75 mg/kg, administered 7 d/week during a 5-year follow-up. The main outcome measures were differences between multiple observations of serum ferritin concentrations. Secondary outcomes were survival analysis, adverse events, and costs. Consecutive thalassaemia patients (275) were assessed for eligibility; 213 of these…
Repeated Echocardiographic Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Measurements: A Strong and Accessible Tool for Detecting At High Risk of Heart Failure Thalassemia Major Population
Abstract Abstract 3197 Background: The prognosis for thalassemia major (TM) has dramatically improved in the last two decades. However, many transfusion-dependent patients continue to develop secondary iron overloading, and eventually death, particularly from cardiac disease. The possibility of detecting easily and earliest the patients at risk of cardiac death is so far the main challenge of clinical management of these patients. Therefore, the mean reduction of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF), determined by echocardiography, was evaluated over the time. Methods: Among the 413 observed patients only 188 had complete records for LVEF measurements during, at least, five considered …
Transfusion Therapy in a Multi-Ethnic Sickle Cell Population Real-World Practice. a Preliminary Data Analysis of Multicentre Survey
Abstract Introduction. Despite the increasing of number of patients with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in Italy, due to multi-ethnic migratory phenomena, a large percentage of Caucasian sickle population is already present in Italy mainly with b-thal/HbS genotype. Red cell transfusion is one effective treatment for both acute and chronic complications of SCD, while hydroxycarbamide (HC) is used to reduce the frequency of painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) and decrease the need for blood transfusion. Through the National Comprehensive Reference Centers for SCD, the Italian Society of Thalassemia and Hemoglobinopathies (SITE), in collaboration with the Society Italian Transfusion Medicine and I…
Sequential alternating deferiprone and deferoxamine treatment compared to deferiprone monotherapy: main findings and clinical follow-up of a large multicenter randomized clinical trial in -thalassemia major patients.
In β-thalassemia major (β-TM) patients, iron chelation therapy is mandatory to reduce iron overload secondary to transfusions. Recommended first line treatment is deferoxamine (DFO) from the age of 2 and second line treatment after the age of 6 is deferiprone (L1). A multicenter randomized open-label trial was designed to assess the effectiveness of long-term alternating sequential L1-DFO versus L1 alone iron chelation therapy in β-TM patients. Deferiprone 75 mg/kg 4 days/week and DFO 50 mg/kg/day for 3 days/week was compared with L1 alone 75 mg/kg 7 days/week during 5-year follow-up. A total of 213 thalassemia patients were randomized and underwent intention-to-treat analysis. Statisticall…
Long-term treatment with deferiprone enhances left ventricular ejection function when compared to deferoxamine in patients with thalassemia major
Transfusion and iron chelation treatment have significantly reduced morbidity and improved survival of patients with thalassemia major. However, cardiac disease continues to be the most common cause of death. We report the left-ventricular ejection fraction, determined by echocardiography, in one hundred sixtyeight patients with thalassemia major followed for at least 5 years who received continuous monotherapy with deferoxamine (N = 108) or deferiprone (N = 60). The statistical analysis, using the generalized estimating equations model, indicated that the group treated with deferiprone had a significantly better left-ventricular ejection fraction than did those treated with deferoxamine (c…
Serial echocardiographic left ventricular ejection fraction measurements: A tool for detecting thalassemia major patients at risk of cardiac death
Cardiac damage remains a major cause of mortality among patients with thalassemia major. The detection of a lower cardiac magnetic resonance T2* (CMR-T2*) signal has been suggested as a powerful predictor of the subsequent development of heart failure. However, the lack of worldwide availability of CMR-T2* facilities prevents its widespread use for follow-up evaluations of cardiac function in thalassemia major patients, warranting the need to assess the utility of other possible procedures. In this setting, the determination of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) offers an accurate and reproducible method for heart function evaluation. These findings suggest a reduction in LVEF≥7%, ov…
Long-term use of deferiprone significantly enhances left-ventricular ejection function in thalassemia major patients
A multicenter randomized open-label long-term sequential deferiprone–deferoxamine (DFP-DFO) versus DFP alone trial (sequential DFP-DFO) performed in patients with thalassemia major (TM) was retrospectively reanalyzed to assess the variation in the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) [1].
The planimetric Grothoff's criteria by cardiac magnetic resonance can improve the specificity of left ventricular non-compaction diagnosis in thalassemia intermedia
We differentiated the left ventricle non-compaction (LVNC) from hypertrabeculated myocardium due to a negative remodeling in thalassemia intermedia (TI) patients applying linear and planimetric criteria and comparing the cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) findings. CMR images were analyzed in 181 TI patients enrolled in the Myocardial Iron Overload in Thalassemia Network and 27 patients with proved LVNC diagnosis. The CMR diagnostic criteria applied in TI patients were: a modified linear CMR Petersen’s criterion based on a more restrictive ratio of diastolic NC/C > 2.5 at segmental level and the combination of planimetric Grothoff’s criteria (percentage of trabeculated LV myocardial…