Cost of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in India.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a definite cure for many hematological diseases. With the increasing indications for HSCT and its relatively low cost in Indian subcontinent, an increasing number of patients are opting for this procedure. We retrospectively analyzed the cost of one hundred sixty two HSCTs done at our center in the last three years.

Infusional chemotherapy and medication errors in a tertiary care pediatric cancer unit in a resource-limited setting.

Background: Drug administration is a multiprofessional process. The high toxicity and low therapeutic index of chemotherapy drugs make medication errors a significant problem, resulting in excessive patient morbidity and cost.

Objective: An audit of the delivery of infusional chemotherapy among pediatric inpatients was planned, with the objective of improving practice and minimizing errors.

Deferasirox in Indian children with thalassemia major: 3 years experience.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the oral iron chelator deferasirox in treating transfusional hemosiderosis in a cohort of Indian children with thalassemia major with high iron load.

Materials And Methods: The first 50 children (age 2-18 yrs) with thalassemia major to commence deferasirox at our center were enrolled and followed up for a period of 36 months between April 2008 and March 2011. The dose of deferasirox was determined by their baseline serum ferritin and was adjusted to a maximum of 40 mg/kg/day depending on response.