Bone Marrow Transplantation for Thalassemia

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Abstract
To the Editor: The article by Lucarelli et al. (April 23 issue)1 appears to underestimate the risk–benefit ratio of bone marrow transplantation in patients with thalassemia who are between 8 and 15 years old. Lucarelli et al. state that they chose their patients from among those with a particularly poor prognosis, but details are not given. Although in this study the risks appear clear (25 percent mortality plus a 6 percent probability of relapse), the benefits are grossly overestimated by the authors' assumption that "without transplantation, this group of patients would be expected to have a fatal outcome... within a . . .

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