Full chimerism in nonmyeloablative stem cell transplantation in a beta-thalassemia major patient (class 3 Lucarelli)

Bone marrow transplantation is the only therapeutic option that can eliminate thalassemic disease. Early results indicated that children in class 3 Lucarelli had a much worse outcome because of high nonrejection mortality and high rejection rate. We therefore tried to investigate a nonmyeloablative stem cell transplantation (NST) approach for such a disease in order to reduce mortality and rejection. We report here the case of successful NST in a 10-year-old girl who had class 3 Lucarelli beta-thalassemia major. The conditioning regimen consisted of busulfan, fludarabine, antilymphocyte globulin and total lymphoid irradiation. Her GVHD prophylaxis included mycophenolate mofetil and cyclosporin. The patient had full donor engraftment without acute and chronic GVHD. She is now alive and well and remains disease-free 1 year after transplant.