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Updated: Feb 26, 2026

Detection of Residual Donor Erythroid Progenitor Cells after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Patients with Hemoglobinopathies
Published on: September 6, 2017
Thalidomide has a significant effect in patients with thalassemia intermedia
YunShuan Li1,2, Quan Ren1,2, Yali Zhou1
1a Department of Hematology , The 303rd Hospital of the PLA , Nanning , China.
Objective:
To investigate the effect of thalidomide in patients with thalassemia intermedia.
Methods:
We observed the effect of thalidomide in seven patients with thalassemia intermedia requiring blood transfusion. Four of the patients were transfusion-independent, and three patients were transfusion-dependent.
Results:
For the four transfusion-independent patients, hemoglobin concentration increased significantly (≥2 g/dl) in three and moderately (1-2 g/dl) in one. After 3 months of treatment, hemoglobin concentration increased 3.2 ± 1.2 g/dl compared to pretreatment. Among the three transfusion-dependent patients, transfusion was terminated after one month of treatment in one patient and decreased >50% in the other two patients, accompanied by an increase in the average hemoglobin concentration.
Conclusion:
Thalidomide had a significant effect in patients with thalassemia intermedia. Further studies of a larger scale and more rigorous design are warranted.
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