Iron overload and malignancies in patients with haemoglobinopathies: A single center experience

Thalassemias and sickle cell disease are a group of inherited blood disorders caused by alterations of the synthesis or of the structure of hemoglobin chains. It results in variable outcomes ranging from severe anemia to clinically asymptomatic individuals. Hemolysis and transfusions therapies lead to iron overload and, thus, to an high production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Recently, it was found an increasing frequency of tumors in patients with hemoglobinopathies and it was underlined the probable role of iron overload in the carcinogenesis. Here, we describe five patients with hemoglobinopathies affected by different types of cancers and we discuss the role of ROS in the carcinogenesis.