Table 5. Comparison with literature.
| Present study | Li C et al (6) | Giardini et al (5) | Angelucci et al (2) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study period | 2001–2012 | 1992–1997 | NA | 1991–1992 |
| No. of patients | 149 | 30 | 18 | 48 |
| Age at aHSCT (years) | 7.4±3.91 | 10±5.3 | NA | 12±3.1 |
| Pesaro class II or III | 145 (97.3%) | NA | 18(100%) | 41(85%) |
| Hepatitis C virus infection | 5 (3.4%) | 0(0%) | 14(78%) | 35(85%) |
| Ferritin at start of IRT (ng/ml) | 2480 (866–8921) | 5292±3166 | 3607(2270–7710) | 3694(2761–5246) |
| No. of pre aHSCT transfusions | 88±66 | - | - | 188±91 |
| Type of IRT used | Phlebotomy/DFO/DFX | Phlebotomy/DFO | DFO | Phlebotomy |
| Time to start of IRT from aHSCT(mo) | 14 (5–53) | Post engraftment | NA | 4.5±1.5yrs |
| Median duration of IRT (mo) | 47±26 | NA | NA | 35±18 |
| Target Ferritin for IRT (ng/ml) | 300* | NA | ||
| Patients with target (<300ng/ml) achieved | 59 (40%) | NA | NA | NA |
| Dose of IRT | - | - | - | - |
| DFO | 30-50mg/kg x 5/7 | 50mg/Kg | 40mg/Kgx 6/7 | - |
| DFX | 20-40mg/Kg/day | - | - | - |
| Phlebotomy | 8ml/Kg/4-6wks | 10ml/Kg /4wks | - | 6ml/Kg/2 wks |
| Ferritin pre- IRT (ng/ml) | - | - | ||
| Phlebotomy group(n = 10) | 1976 ± 614 | 2453 ± 1232 | - | - |
| DFO group (n = 21) | 2640±1468 | 5292 ± 3166 | ||
| P = 0.233 | P = 0.001 | |||
| Ferritin at end (ng/ml) | - | - | ||
| Phlebotomy group(n = 10) | 372±334 | 588 ± 234 | - | - |
| DFO group (n = 21) | 787±715 | 665 ± 733 | ||
| P = 0.043 | P = NS | |||
| Ferritin reduction/mo | - | |||
| Phlebotomy group(n = 10) | 96±55 | 155 ± 82 mg/l | - | - |
| DFO group (n = 21) | 142±126 | 405 ± 301 | ||
| P = 0.370 | P = 0.001 | |||
| % Ferritin reduction/mo | - | - | ||
| Phlebotomy group(n = 10) | 5.3±3.9 | 13±12% | - | - |
| DFO group (n = 21) | 5.0±3.4 | 10±5.7% | ||
| P = 0.724 | P = NS |
* In 29 patients, IRT was stopped by treating physician at a ferritin level of <500ng/ml due to one of the reasons mentioned in the methodology section. 59 patients achieved target ferritin <300ng/ml.