scholarly journals Deferasirox reduces iron overload significantly in nontransfusion-dependent thalassemia: 1-year results from a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. 970-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali T. Taher ◽  
John Porter ◽  
Vip Viprakasit ◽  
Antonis Kattamis ◽  
Suporn Chuncharunee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Events ◽  
Iron Overload ◽  
Serum Ferritin ◽  
Randomized Study ◽  
Iron Concentration ◽  
Iron Chelation ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Liver Iron ◽  
Double Blind Placebo

Abstract Nontransfusion-dependent thalassemia (NTDT) patients may develop iron overload and its associated complications despite receiving only occasional or no transfusions. The present 1-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled THALASSA (Assessment of Exjade in Nontransfusion-Dependent Thalassemia) trial assessed the efficacy and safety of deferasirox in iron-overloaded NTDT patients. A total of 166 patients were randomized in a 2:1:2:1 ratio to starting doses of 5 or 10 mg/kg/d of deferasirox or placebo. The means ± SD of the actual deferasirox doses received over the duration of the study in the 5 and 10 mg/kg/d starting dose cohorts were 5.7 ± 1.4 and 11.5 ± 2.9 mg/kg/d, respectively. At 1 year, the liver iron concentration (LIC) decreased significantly compared with placebo (least-squares mean [LSM] ± SEM, −2.33 ± 0.7 mg Fe/g dry weight [dw], P = .001, and −4.18 ± 0.69 mg Fe/g dw, P < .001) for the 5 and 10 mg/kg/d deferasirox groups, respectively (baseline values [means ± SD], 13.11 ± 7.29 and 14.56 ± 7.92 mg Fe/g dw, respectively). Similarly, serum ferritin decreased significantly compared with placebo by LSM −235 and −337 ng/mL for the deferasirox 5 and 10 mg/kg/d groups, respectively (P < .001). In the placebo patients, LIC and serum ferritin increased from baseline by 0.38 mg Fe/g dw and 115 ng/mL (LSM), respectively. The most common drug-related adverse events were nausea (n = 11; 6.6%), rash (n = 8; 4.8%), and diarrhea (n = 6; 3.6%). This is the first randomized study showing that iron chelation with deferasirox significantly reduces iron overload in NTDT patients with a frequency of overall adverse events similar to placebo.

Efficacy of Phenazone in the Treatment of Acute Migraine Attacks: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Study

Cephalalgia ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 888-893 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Göbel ◽  
A Heinze ◽  
U Niederberger ◽  
T Witt ◽  
V Zumbroich
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Events ◽  
Randomized Study ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Acute Migraine ◽  
Serious Adverse Events ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Double Blind Placebo ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Main Target

In this study we compared the efficacy of 1000 mg phenazone with that of placebo in the treatment of acute migraine attacks in a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 208 patients. The main target criterion was the number of patients with a pain reduction from severe or moderate to slight or no pain 2 h after taking the pain medication. The percentage of patients satisfying the main target criterion was 48.6% for phenazone and 27.2% ( P < 0.05) for placebo. Freedom from pain after 2 h was reported by 27.6% with phenazone treatment and 13.6% ( P < 0.05) with placebo. Compared with placebo, the phenazone treatment also resulted in a significant improvement in the associated migraine symptoms of nausea, phonophobia and photophobia. Of patients treated with phenazone 11.4%, and 5.8% of those treated with placebo reported adverse events. There was no significant difference between the groups with regard to numbers of patients with adverse events. No serious adverse events occurred. The results show that phenazone at a dosage of 1000 mg is effective and well tolerated in the treatment of acute migraine attacks.

Safety and Efficacy of Alternate Desferrioxamine and Deferiprone Compared to Desferrioxamine Alone in the Treatment of Iron Overload in Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemia Patients.

Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 3611-3611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renzo Galanello ◽  
Antonios Kattamis ◽  
Antonio Piga ◽  
Fernando Tricta
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Events ◽  
Iron Overload ◽  
Serum Ferritin ◽  
Iron Concentration ◽  
Comparable Efficacy ◽  
Liver Iron ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
Alternate Therapy ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Wet Weight

The safety and efficacy of alternating desferrioxamine and deferiprone for the treatment of iron overload in patients with transfusion-dependent anemias was studied in 60 thalassemia patients regularly treated with desferrioxamine. Patients were randomized to continue desferrioxamine alone (20–60 mg/kg/day, 5–7 days/week) or to alternate desferrioxamine (20–60 mg/kg/day, 2 days/week) with oral deferiprone (25 mg/kg tid, 5 days/week). Both treatment groups were similar for age (19.8 ± 6.1 years for desferrioxamine alone and 18.7 ± 4.8 years for alternate therapy) as was gender distribution and mean standard dose of desferrioxamine at the time of study initiation. Over the following 12 months, all patients were monitored weekly for adverse events and for their white blood cell count. Efficacy of the chelation was evaluated by measurement of the serum ferritin, liver iron concentration (magnetic susceptometry by SQUID), and by Non-Transferrin Bound Iron (NTBI). Compliance was comparable for both arms (96.1 ± 5.0% for alternate therapy vs 95.7 ± 5.7 % for desferrioxamine alone; p=0.7883). There was no significant difference in the proportion of patients with adverse events in the two therapy groups but the chelation regimens were associated with distinct adverse events. The alternate therapy was associated with transient gastrointestinal symptoms, such as vomiting in 5 patients (17%), abdominal pain in 3 patients (10%), or diarrhea in one patient (3%), or transient increase of serum ALT levels in one patient (3%), occurring mainly in the first weeks of therapy and were mild/moderate in severity. Daily infusions of desferrioxamine were associated with abscess at the site of infusion in one patient (3%), and allergic reactions in another patient (3%). Mean serum ALT levels were not significantly different between the two therapies. There were no episodes of agranulocytosis and only one patient, treated with desferrioxamine alone, experienced milder neutropenia. Both therapies resulted in similar decreases of serum ferritin (−349 ± 573 mg/L for the desferrioxamine arm; −248 ± 791 for the alternate arm; p=0.5802), and of liver iron concentrations (−239 ± 474 μg/g wet weight for the desferrioxamine arm; −65 ± 615 μg/g wet weight for the alternate therapy arm; p=0.2263) by the end of the treatment period. No significant changes in NTBI were observed between the two treatment arms (1.10 ± 7.19 μmol/L for the desferrioxamine arm; −0.03 ± 8.13 μmol/L for the alternate arm; p=0.5775). In conclusion, this 12 month study in transfusion-dependent thalassemia demonstrated that the alternating therapy with deferiprone and desferrioxamine is not associated with a significant increase in the incidence of adverse events and that it has comparable efficacy to desferrioxamine alone in controlling iron overload.

Correlation of Serum Ferritin Levels and Liver Iron Concentration Determined by R2* MRI in Patients with Thalassemia Intermedia.

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 3818-3818
Author(s):  
Ali Taher ◽  
F. El Rassi ◽  
H. Ismaeel ◽  
S. Koussa ◽  
A. Inati
Keyword(s):  
Iron Overload ◽  
Serum Ferritin ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Iron Concentration ◽  
Iron Chelation ◽  
Thalassemia Intermedia ◽  
Liver Iron Concentration ◽  
Liver Iron ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Transfusion Therapy

Abstract Background: Unlike patients with thalassemia major (TM), those with thalassemia intermedia (TI) do not require regular blood transfusion therapy but remain susceptible to iron overload due to increased intestinal iron uptake triggered by ineffective erythropoiesis. TI patients can accumulate 1–3.5 g of excess iron per year, and effective monitoring of iron burden is an important element of patient management. Assessment of serum ferritin (SF) levels is a convenient and widely used method, and a correlation between SF and liver iron concentration (LIC) has been demonstrated in patients with TM. SF levels may, however, be a poor indicator of LIC in patients with TI and the limited data available on the SF:LIC correlation prove equivocal; in fact, reports suggest a discrepancy between LIC and SF in patients with TI. This is the largest study to use R2* MRI to evaluate the SF:LIC correlation in patients with TI. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of randomly selected, infrequently/non-transfused TI patients treated at a chronic care center in Hazmieh, Lebanon. Patient charts were reviewed and a medical history was compiled. Blood samples were taken for SF assessment, and LIC was determined by R2* MRI. Results: Data from 74 TI patients were included in this analysis (33 male, 41 female; mean age 26.5 ± 11.5 years). Of this group, 59 (79.7%) patients were splenectomized, 20 were transfusion-naive, 45 had received several transfusions in their lifetime but none in the past year, and 9 patients were regularly transfused 2–4 times per year. Overall mean SF values were 1023 ± 780 ng/mL (range 15–4140); mean LIC levels were 9.0 ± 7.4 mg Fe/g dry weight [dw] (range 0.5–32.1). In contrast to previous findings, a significant positive correlation between mean LIC and SF values was seen in the whole group (R=0.64; P&lt;0.001), and in a subset of splenectomized patients (R=0.62; P&lt;0.001). In comparison with data obtained from a randomly selected group of patients with TM treated at the center, SF levels in TI were seen to be significantly lower, while the mean LIC values were similar in both groups of TI and TM. For a given LIC, SF values were lower in patients with TI than those with TM (Figure). Conclusions: Evaluation of iron levels shows that many patients with TI have SF and LIC levels above the recommended threshold levels, indicating a risk of significant morbidity/mortality. Similar to TM, a significant correlation between SF and LIC was observed in patients with TI; however, the relationship between SF and LIC was different between TI and TM (for the same LIC, the SF values in TI were lower than those in TM). Therefore, use of the current threshold for iron overload based on SF values in TM will lead to significant underestimation of the severity of iron overload in patients with TI. This may result in delayed chelation therapy, and expose patients to morbidity and mortality risks associated with iron overload. Disease-specific management approaches are therefore required in patients with TI. This includes either regular assessments of LIC, ideally by non-invasive R2* MRI, or lowering the SF threshold for initiating iron chelation in patients with TI. Figure Figure

Iron Chelation Therapy with Deferasirox (Exjade®, ICL670) or Deferoxamine Is Effective in Reducing Iron Overload in Patients with Advanced Fibrosis and Cirrhosis.

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 2696-2696 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Angelucci ◽  
B. Turlin ◽  
D. Canatan ◽  
A. Mangiagli ◽  
V. De Sanctis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Overload ◽  
Serum Ferritin ◽  
Chelation Therapy ◽  
Iron Concentration ◽  
Iron Chelation ◽  
Iron Chelator ◽  
Advanced Fibrosis ◽  
Liver Iron ◽  
Once Daily ◽  
Tissue Iron

Abstract Introduction: Although the direct measurement of iron from a liver biopsy is the reference standard method to determine liver iron concentration (LIC), results are highly unreliable in patients with advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis. As a result, chelation therapy is difficult to monitor in this patient population where effective chelation therapy may be critical. It is therefore important to assess parameters additional to LIC in order to accurately assess body iron in these patients. Aim: To analyze the efficacy of chelation with deferoxamine (DFO) and the investigational once-daily, oral iron chelator deferasirox (DSX) in patients with advanced fibrosis participating in DSX registration studies. Methods: A subgroup of patients from DSX Studies 0107 and 0108 were selected based on a staging result according to the Ischak scale of 5 (incomplete cirrhosis) or 6 (probable or definite cirrhosis), measured either at baseline or after 1 year of chelation therapy. The subgroup of patients with β-thalassemia participating in Study 0107 received DSX (n=26) or DFO (n=30). In Study 0108, the subgroup of patients with β-thalassemia unable to be treated with DFO (n=12) or patients with anemias other than β-thalassemia (n=7) were treated with DSX only. In both studies, patients received chelation therapy according to baseline LIC. Results: In Study 0107, treatment with DSX or DFO led to a decrease in semi-quantitative tissue iron score (TIS) and LIC, which were paralleled by changes in serum ferritin. TIS, LIC and serum ferritin in a subgroup of patients with advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis treated with DSX and DFO (Study 0107) TIS LIC, mg Fe/g dw Serum ferritin, ng/mL DSX (n=26) DFO (n=30) DSX (n=26) DFO (n=30) DSX (n=26) DFO (n=30) *Median (min, max) Baseline* 35.5 (4,39) 34 (10,52) 25.5 (2.4,45.9) 19.5 (3.9,55.1) 4195 (321,12646) 4144 (653,15283) Change from baseline* −2 (−43,20) −2 (−25,16) −9.4 (−42.2,13.1) −3.1 (−24.5,12.4) −1269 (−7082,3609) −951 (−8259,1264 Similarly, in Study 0108, DSX treatment produced a decrease in all 3 parameters in patients with β-thalassemia or rare anemia. TIS, LIC and serum ferritin in a subgroup of β-thalassemia and rare anemia patients with advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis (Study 0108) TIS LIC, mg Fe/g dw Serum ferritin, ng/mL β-thalassemia (n=12) Rare anemia (n=7) β-thalassemia (n=12) Rare anemia (n=7) -thalassemia β (n=12) Rare anemia (n=7) *Median (min, max) Baseline* 35 (4,48) 41 (32,49) 29.4 (3.8,37.4) 26.3 (15,51.3) 4813 (440,11698) 2385 (1553,9099) Change from baseline* 2 (−19,27) −3 (−20,1) −1.6 (−18,9.9) −10 (−13.9,8.8) −986 (−4453,2131) −1322 (−2609,1901) Conclusions: Chelation therapy with DSX or DFO is effective in reducing iron overload in patients with advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis. The trends observed in TIS and LIC were closely mirrored by changes in serum ferritin, highlighting the validity of this method for monitoring chelation therapy in this population.

Long Term Erythrocytapheresis Is Associated with Reduced Liver Iron Concentration in Sickle Cell Disease

Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 4867-4867
Author(s):  
Scott N. Myers ◽  
Ryan Eid ◽  
John Myers ◽  
Salvatore J. Bertolone ◽  
Ashok B. Raj
Keyword(s):  
Iron Overload ◽  
Serum Ferritin ◽  
Iron Concentration ◽  
Iron Chelation ◽  
Cell Disease ◽  
Liver Iron ◽  
Serial Serum ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: Observational studies and randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that RBC transfusions can alleviate or prevent many complications of sickle cell disease (SCD). Obligatory iron loading is most problematic for those receiving chronic simple transfusions and is managed with chelation therapy to prevent hepatic, cardiac, and endocrinologic complications. Erythrocytapheresis procedures are increasingly used in SCD as they achieve dilution of hemoglobin S without significantly raising the total hematocrit. Some guidelines for the management of iron overload use serum ferritin levels, but non-invasive measurements of liver iron concentration (LIC) using validated and widely available MRI techniques have been described. There is a paucity of data elucidating the impact of long-term erythrocytapheresis (LTE) on LIC. We evaluated LIC with MRI and serial serum ferritin measurements among a population of SCD patients maintained on LTE at a single institution. Methods: Subjects with SCD maintained on the LTE program included those with elevated TCD, history of stroke, recurrent acute chest syndrome, or frequent pain crises unresponsive to hydroxyurea therapy. Serial serum ferritin measurements were followed and chelation with deferasirox was initiated for consistent ferritin level >1000 ng/mL. MRI of liver and cardiac iron was measured on all LTE subjects with non-contrast MRI techniques. A total of n=31 subjects maintained on LTE were enrolled and stratified into two groups: high LIC, ≥5mg/g of dry tissue (n=4, 12.9%) and low LIC, <5mg/g (n=27, 87.1%). Chi-squared and t-test were used to test for differences between the two groups. Logistic regression was used to test what impacted the odds of having a high LIC, while generalized linear mixed-effects modeling was used to test what impacted LIC. Results: None of the subjects had high cardiac iron concentration. Subjects with high LIC were significantly older (17.8 vs. 13.1, p=0.032) and were more likely to be female (100% vs. 44.4%, p=0.038). The duration of LTE was not associated with high and low levels of LIC (8.25 vs. 6.15, p=0.240, Figure 1), levels of LIC (r=0.247, p=0.188, Figure 2), or serum ferritin (r=0.077, p=0.680). The total number of simple of transfusions was not associated with serum ferritin (r=-0.177, p=0.558) or LIC (r=-0.022, p=0.910). Serum ferritin was not significantly associated with LIC (r=0.296, p=0.112, Figure 3). One of the 4 patients with high LIC required chelation with deferasirox for ferritin >1000 ng/mL. Three of the 31 subjects required iron chelation with deferasirox. Conclusions: There was no significant correlation between duration of LTE and LIC. The impact of cumulative simple transfusions on LIC was obviated by maintenance LTE. These findings are consistent with reports that LTE is associated with reduced transfusional iron overload. The lack of significant association between serum ferritin and LIC suggest that validated MRI measurements of LIC may have greater sensitivity for identifying patients with iron overload and guidelines for iron chelation should consider LIC rather than serum ferritin alone. Figure 1. Duration of LTE (years) was not associated with high and low levels of LIC. Figure 1. Duration of LTE (years) was not associated with high and low levels of LIC. Figure 2. Duration of LTE was not associated with levels of LIC. Figure 2. Duration of LTE was not associated with levels of LIC. Figure 3. Serum ferritin was not significantly associated with LIC. Figure 3. Serum ferritin was not significantly associated with LIC. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Monitoring Cardiac Siderosis in Patients with Beta-Thalassemia Major on Various Chelation Regimens,

Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. 3177-3177
Author(s):  
Srikanth R. Ambati ◽  
Rachel Randolph ◽  
Kevin Mennitt ◽  
Dorothy A Kleinert ◽  
Patricia Giardina
Keyword(s):  
Iron Overload ◽  
Serum Ferritin ◽  
Iron Concentration ◽  
Iron Chelation ◽  
Thalassemia Major ◽  
Beta Thalassemia ◽  
Liver Iron ◽  
Beta Thalassemia Major ◽  
Cardiac Siderosis ◽  
Hepatic Iron Overload

Abstract Abstract 3177 Background: Patients with Beta-thalassemia major develop progressive iron overload in various organs. Cardiac siderosis is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in these patients, and also poses a significant treatment challenge. Methods: We have reviewed 101 beta-thalassemia major patients 39 Male (M) 62 Female (F) with a mean age of 27.9 (range: 2 to 60 years). All received regular transfusions to maintain pre transfusion Hb levels of 9 to10 gm/dl and all received iron chelation initially with deferoxamine (DFO) and subsequently treated with deferasirox (DFX) or deferiprone (DFP) in combination with DFO. Each patient was monitored yearly for iron excess by hepatic and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2*. They were also assessed with monthly evaluations for liver and renal function (Bili, AST, ALT, BUN, Creatinine), serum ferritin, CBC (or weekly if on DFP), and urinalysis. Annual EKG, ECHO, hearing and vision testing and endocrine evaluations were also performed. The patients were grouped according to the severity of cardiac siderosis. Mild to moderate cardiac siderosis was defined as a T2* 12–20 msec and severe cardiac siderosis T2*≤ 11 msec. Annual studies were compared using paired student T test and repeated measures Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA) when necessary. Patient population: Twenty one of the 101 patients (7M and 14F) with a mean age of 30.6 yr, age range 15 to 56 yr, had abnormal cardiac T2* of <20 msec and three or more subsequent annual cardiac T2* measurements. Thirteen patients, 3 M 10 F with a mean age of 33 (range: 19 to 60), had severe cardiac siderosis and 8 patients, 3 M 5 F with mean age of 38 (range: 25 to 49), had mild-moderate cardiac siderosis. During the course of the observation their iron chelation therapy was optimized to reduce serum ferritin levels < 1500 μg/dl and to reduce or maintain liver iron concentration (LIC) ≤ 7 mg/gm dw. Data analysis: At the time of their first annual MRI study (baseline), 8 patients were on DFO of which 6 were switched to DFX, 13 patients were on DFX, 11 patients were dose escalated on DFX, and 4 patients were switched to combination chelation with DFO and DFP. At baseline, patients with severe cardiac siderosis had a mean cardiac T2* level = 7.4 ± 0.47 SEM (range: 4.6 to 11msec). Over the treatment course of 6 years annual cardiac T2* levels consistently improved and by 6 years cardiac T2* reached a mean level =14.3 ±1.5 SEM (range: 12 to 17 ms) (Fig 1). Those patients who at baseline had a mild to moderate cardiac siderosis with mean cardiac T2* of 14.6 ± 1.02 SEM (range: 12 to 19 msec) improved by 3 years of treatment when they achieved a mean cardiac T2* of 26.3 ± 3.4 SEM (range of 16 to 42 msec) (Fig 2). Liver iron concentration (LIC) was measured annually by MRI. Initially the majority, 16 out of 21 of patients, had hepatic iron overload LIC ≤ 10 mg/ gm dw of whom 56% (9 of the 16) had severe cardiac siderosis. 5 of 21 patients had a LIC > 15 mg/ gm dw of whom 80% (4 out of 5) patients had severe cardiac siderosis (Fig 3). Patients with LIC ≤10 mg/ gm dw had ferritin levels ranging from 166 to 3240 μg/ dl and patients with LIC >15 mg/ gm dw had elevated serum ferritin levels of 1180 to 17,000 μg/ dl. Patients with severe cardiac siderosis had mean MRI ejection fraction (EF)= 55.8% (range: 31 to 70%) while patients with mild to moderate cardiac siderosis had mean MRI EF= 60% (range: 53 to 66%). One patient with severe cardiac siderosis was recovering from symptomatic congestive heart failure. Conclusion: Cardiac siderosis can be noninvasively diagnosed utilizing MRI T2* techniques and subsequently to monitor treatment. The majority of patients improve cardiac T2* over time with optimal chelation therapy. Severe cardiac siderosis occurs even with mild to moderate hepatic iron overload. Left ventricular EF may not predict severe cardiac siderosis. Therefore it is important to annually monitor cardiac siderosis with MRI T2*. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Deferasirox Decreases Liver Iron Concentration (LIC) in Transfusional Iron Overloaded Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), Aplastic Anemia (AA) and Other Rare Anemias: Results From 1-Year Multi-Center, Open-Label Phase II Study

Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. 4838-4838
Author(s):  
Yutaka Kohgo ◽  
Akio Urabe ◽  
Yurdanur Kilinç ◽  
Leyla Agaoglu ◽  
Krzysztof Warzocha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Overload ◽  
Serum Ferritin ◽  
Phase Ii ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Iron Concentration ◽  
Iron Chelation ◽  
Average Dose ◽  
Liver Iron ◽  
Transfusion Requirements ◽  
Relative Change

Abstract Abstract 4838 Background: Regularly transfused patients including those with MDS and AA inevitably accumulate iron in various tissues, hence the importance of iron chelation to prevent end organ dysfunction. Studies of iron chelation in MDS and AA have mostly used serum ferritin as an efficacy indicator; LIC data, a more direct measure of clinical benefit are limited in these patients. Here, we report results from a 1-year Phase II, multicenter study evaluating the effect of deferasirox (DFX) on LIC in iron-overloaded patients with MDS, AA, and other rare anemias. Methods: Patients aged ≥2 yrs with transfusional iron overload due to low/intermediate (Int-1) risk MDS, AA and other congenital or acquired anemias were enrolled. Patients with thalassemia and SCD were excluded. Patients required a lifetime transfusion history of ≥20 units of packed red blood cells (RBC) or serum ferritin >1000 ng/mL. DFX was administered at a starting dose of 20 mg/kg/day; some patients started on 10 or 30 mg/kg/day based on transfusion requirements and therapeutic goals. Dose adjustments were based on serum ferritin trends and safety parameters. Primary endpoint was absolute change in LIC assessed by R2 MRI (Ferriscan®) from baseline (BL) to 1 year. Secondary objectives included analyses of change in serum ferritin, iron balance and safety. Results: 102 patients (MDS n=42 [41.2%], AA n=29 [28.4%] and other rare anemias n=31 [30.4%]) were enrolled. Median age was 56.5 yrs (range 2–85 yrs). 68 (67%) patients completed 1 year of treatment. Average actual dose (mean ± SD) was 18.5 ± 5.6 mg/kg/day; 64 patients (62.7%) received an average dose of 15–<25 mg/kg/day. Mean ± SD BL LIC was 24.5 ± 15.6 mg Fe/g dw (n=102); with 23.5% (n=24) and 56.9% (n=58) of patients having LIC >7–<15 and ≥15 mg Fe/g dw, respectively. Median BL serum ferritin was 2999 ng/mL (range 110 to 27,550). For patients with evaluable LIC at BL and 1 year (per protocol set, n=50), mean LIC decreased significantly from 25.6 at BL to 14.7 at 1 year (–10.9 mg Fe/g dw, [95% confidence interval [CI]–14.3, –7.5], relative change 42.9%). Median serum ferritin decreased by –684 ng/mL (range –11,150 to 29,400) from a BL of 2999 (range 110 to 27,550) to 2057 ng/mL (range 193 to 30,800) at 1 year. Reductions in LIC and serum ferritin were observed across dose categories and blood transfusion requirements and were more pronounced in patients receiving RBC <7 and 7–≤14 mL/kg/month (Figure). There was a correlation between relative change in LIC and relative change in serum ferritin (R=0.606, per protocol set) and relative change in LIC and relative change in ALT (R=0.457, per protocol set). Overall, mean iron balance (Fe excretion/Fe intake) was +2.46 (n=45). Most frequent (≥5%) adverse events (AE) suspected by the investigator to be drug-related were increased blood creatinine (n=19, 18.6%), skin rash (n=9, 8.8%), renal impairment (n=8, 7.8%), diarrhea (n=7, 6.9%), nausea (n=7, 6.9%), abdominal pain (n=6, 5.9%) and constipation (n=6, 5.9%). 14 severe AEs suspected to be drug-related were reported in 10 patients, the most frequent (≥2) being rash (n=2) and hypersensitivity (n=2). Five patients died (general physical health deterioration [n=2], cerebellar hemorrhage, disseminated intravascular coagulation and traumatic hemorrhage [n=1 for each]); none were considered drug-related. Cataract was reported in 4 patients (3.9%); 1 suspected as drug-related. Auditory AEs were reported in 7 patients; aggravated deafness (n=1) and tinnitus (n=1) suspected to be drug-related. Of 19 patients treated with concomitant cyclosporine (CyA), 11 (57.9%) had increases in serum creatinine (>33% above BL and >ULN at 2 consecutive visits) compared with 18 of the remaining 83 patients (21.7%) who did not receive CyA. Conclusions: A large proportion of patients in this study with transfusion-dependent Low/Int-1 risk MDS, AA and other rare anemias had severe liver iron overload (LIC ≥15 mg Fe/g dw). 1 year of DFX treatment significantly reduced iron burden, as assessed by both LIC and serum ferritin; with iron excretion 2–3 times higher than iron intake. Furthermore, change in LIC correlated with change in serum ferritin and ALT, a clinically relevant indicator of liver function. Overall the DFX safety profile was consistent with that from previous studies. Renal function in patients receiving DFX and concomitant CyA should be closely monitored as previously noted in the EPIC trial. Disclosures: Kohgo: Kyorin Pharma: Research Funding; Sapporo Brewery: Research Funding; Asahikasei Kurare Medical: Research Funding; Chugai Roche: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Sanz:Novartis: Speakers Bureau. Helou:Novartis: Employment. Habr:Novartis: Employment. Malet:Novartis: Employment. Glaser:Novartis: Employment. Wiktor-Jedrzejczak:Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria.

Lack of Correlation between Serum Ferritin and Liver Iron Concentration in Beta-Zero Thalassemia Intermedia.

Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 3620-3620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renzo Galanello ◽  
Nicolina Giagu ◽  
Susanna Barella ◽  
Liliana Maccioni ◽  
Raffaella Origa
Keyword(s):  
Iron Overload ◽  
Serum Ferritin ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Iron Concentration ◽  
Iron Chelation ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Thalassemia Major ◽  
Thalassemia Intermedia ◽  
Liver Iron Concentration ◽  
Liver Iron

Abstract Serum ferritin and liver iron concentration (LIC) are the most commonly used methods for assessment of iron overload in thalassemia. While in patients with thalassemia major a significant correlation has been found between these two parameters, data are lacking in patients with thalassemia intermedia. In this study we measured the serum ferritin and LIC in 22 adult patients with beta-zero thalassemia intermedia never transfused (14 patients) or sporadically transfused, i.e. less than 10 units in total (8 patients), who maintained a mean hemoglobin of 8.8 ± 1.1 g/dl. Serum ferritin levels were measured by an automated chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer, whereas LIC was determined by atomic absorption in liver biopsies. We compared the results obtained in those patients with those obtained in 22 regularly transfused (mean annual Hb = 11.3 ± 0.3 g/dl) and iron chelated thalassemia major patients, matched by sex, age and liver iron concentration. We also determined serum erythropoietin (s-epo) and serum transferrin receptor (s-TfR) in a cohort of the two patient groups (12 thalassemia intermedia; 15 thalassemia major). Mean LIC was 11.3 ± 6 mg/g dry weight tissue in thalassemia intermedia, and 11.8 ± 7 mg/g d.w. in thalassemia major group. Mean serum ferritin (at least 2 determinations from each patient within ± 2 months of liver biopsy) was 627 ± 309 ng/ml in thalassemia intermedia and 2748 ± 2510 ng/ml in thalassemia major. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.0001). LIC was weakly correlated with serum ferritin in thalassemia major patients (r2=0.46; p=0.001) and uncorrelated in patients with thalassemia intermedia (r2=0.04; p=0.37) (Figure). S-epo and s-TfR were significantly higher in thalassemia intermedia than in thalassemia major [s-epo 467 ± 454 mU/ml versus 71 ± 44 mU/ml (p<0.001); s-TfR 43 ± 13 mU/ ml versus 13 ± 6 mU/ml (p<0.0001)]. The discrepancy between LIC and serum ferritin in thalassemia intermedia patients may be due to the higher levels of s-epo (secondary to anemia) in those patients, which through the iron regulatory protein 1 determine an up-regulation of s-TfR and a repression of ferritin translation (Weiss et al 1997). The mechanism of iron overload may also be mediated by hepcidin, whose synthesis could be suppressed as a consequence of anemia. The observation reported has important implications for iron chelation in patients with thalassemia intermedia. In such patients serum ferritin levels have little value for the monitoring of iron overload. Figure Figure

scholarly journals Hepatocellular Carcinoma in β-Thalassemia Patients: Review of the Literature with Molecular Insight into Liver Carcinogenesis

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 4070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Finianos ◽  
Charbel Matar ◽  
Ali Taher
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Iron Overload ◽  
Treatment Success ◽  
Iron Concentration ◽  
Iron Chelation ◽  
Multicenter Studies ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Liver Iron ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
Personalized Approach

With the continuing progress in managing patients with thalassemia, especially in the setting of iron overload and iron chelation, the life span of these patients is increasing, while concomitantly increasing incidences of many diseases that were less likely to show when survival was rather limited. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major life-threatening cancer that is becoming more frequently identified in this population of patients. The two established risk factors for the development of HCC in thalassemia include iron overload and viral hepatitis with or without cirrhosis. Increased iron burden is becoming a major HCC risk factor in this patient population, especially in those in the older age group. As such, screening thalassemia patients using liver iron concentration (LIC) measurement by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and liver ultrasound is strongly recommended for the early detection of iron overload and for implementation of early iron chelation in an attempt to prevent organ-damaging iron overload and possibly HCC. There remain lacking data on HCC treatment outcomes in patients who have thalassemia. However, a personalized approach tailored to each patient’s comorbidities is essential to treatment success. Multicenter studies investigating the long-term outcomes of currently available therapeutic options in the thalassemia realm, in addition to novel HCC therapeutic targets, are needed to further improve the prognosis of these patients.

Iron chelation with deferasirox in adult and pediatric patients with thalassemia major: efficacy and safety during 5 years' follow-up

Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 884-893 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Domenica Cappellini ◽  
Mohamed Bejaoui ◽  
Leyla Agaoglu ◽  
Duran Canatan ◽  
Marcello Capra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Events ◽  
Iron Concentration ◽  
Iron Chelation ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Thalassemia Major ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
Liver Iron ◽  
Median Serum

Abstract Patients with β-thalassemia require lifelong iron chelation therapy from early childhood to prevent complications associated with transfusional iron overload. To evaluate long-term efficacy and safety of once-daily oral iron chelation with deferasirox, patients aged ≥ 2 years who completed a 1-year, phase 3, randomized trial entered a 4-year extension study, either continuing on deferasirox (deferasirox cohort) or switching from deferoxamine to deferasirox (crossover cohort). Of 555 patients who received ≥ 1 deferasirox dose, 66.8% completed the study; 43 patients (7.7%) discontinued because of adverse events. In patients with ≥ 4 years' deferasirox exposure who had liver biopsy, mean liver iron concentration significantly decreased by 7.8 ± 11.2 mg Fe/g dry weight (dw; n = 103; P < .001) and 3.1 ± 7.9 mg Fe/g dw (n = 68; P < .001) in the deferasirox and crossover cohorts, respectively. Median serum ferritin significantly decreased by 706 ng/mL (n = 196; P < .001) and 371 ng/mL (n = 147; P < .001), respectively, after ≥ 4 years' exposure. Investigator-assessed, drug-related adverse events, including increased blood creatinine (11.2%), abdominal pain (9.0%), and nausea (7.4%), were generally mild to moderate, transient, and reduced in frequency over time. No adverse effect was observed on pediatric growth or adolescent sexual development. This first prospective study of long-term deferasirox use in pediatric and adult patients with β-thalassemia suggests treatment for ≤ 5 years is generally well tolerated and effectively reduces iron burden. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00171210.

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