Abstract • 159

Objective: To assess the outcomes of transfusion dependent thalassaemia patients.

Patients and methods: Since the establishment of a Paediatric bone marrow transplant unit in 1991, there were 41 patients who had transfusion dependent thalassaemia received stem cell transplants. The mean age of transplant was 10.9 years (1.8 - 21). The donors were HLA identical siblings (n=40) and phenotypically matched father (n=1). The stem cell sources were bone marrow (n=36), peripheral blood stem cells (n=3) and umbilical cord blood (n=2). The pre-transplant conditioning regimens were busulphan, cyclosphosphosphamide with or without antithymocyte globulin. Thirty-four patients are now disease free. Six patients died of treatment related complications (veno-occlusive disease and interstitial pneumonitis) and rejection (severe aplastic anaemia). One patient had autologous marrow recovery after rejection. None of the disease free survival has chronic graft versus host disease. The 2-year disease free survival probability was 83%.