I’m studying medical laboratory technology, and I have a paper to write, about a disease or condition and its management from the point of view of a medical laboratory technologist. I’ve chosen Thalassemia (major beta-thalassemia), and I’ve researched the disease, but I’m having trouble finding exactly what tests would normally be ordered, to monitor for iron overload, and to determine how often transfusions would be needed.
Are there any medical types around who might be able to enlighten me?
roxx222, if you can, you might try to get a hold of a beta-thalassemia Phase II or Phase III prospective protocol. A well-written protocol would have a list of all of the tests, how often they are administered, and when a patient would get a transfusion. You’d have to contact a principal investigator of the trial, a clinical trial nurse, or a clinical research associate (CRA) for a copy of a protocol. Does your center have a hematology division? There may be a MD who puts patients on thalassemia protocols.
I checked ClinicalTrials.Gov and there are several thalassemia protocols that are currently recruiting patients, but they don’t have the text of the protocols available. Sometimes these are proprietary, especially when a pharmaceutical company is sponsoring the trial. However, you may try to contact some of the MD investigators and beg for a copy of their protocols.
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I just checked the net for “thalassemia protocol” and found a hit for a Phase II. It’s dated 12/20/2000, but it may be useful nonetheless. Have a look and I hope this helps.
I think you may find some helpful information here.