title: Real-life experience with liver iron concentration R2 MRI measurement in patients with hemoglobinopathies: baseline data from LICNET.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Real-life data on the use of R2 MRI for the assessment of liver iron concentration (LIC) remain limited.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional analysis on 363 patients (mean age 35.6 yr, 44.1% men) with hemoglobinopathies (204 β-thalassemia major [TM], 102 β-thalassemia intermedia [TI], and 57 sickle cell disease [SCD]) that were evaluated with R2 MRI as part of LICNET, an MRI network of 13 Italian treatment centers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean LIC was 7.8 mg/g (median: 4.0), with high LIC (>7 mg/g) noted in both transfused (TM, TI 37%; SCD 38%) and non-transfused (TI 20%) patients. Ferritin levels correlated with LIC in both transfused (TM, TI, SCD) and non-transfused (TI) patients (P < 0.001), although lower values predicted high LIC in non-transfused patients (1900 vs. 650 ng/mL in TM vs. non-transfused TI). A correlation between LIC and ALT levels was only noted in HCV-negative patients (rs = 0.316, P < 0.001). The proportion of patients with high LIC was significantly different between iron chelators used (P = 0.023), with the lowest proportion in deferasirox (30%) and highest in deferiprone (53%)-treated patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High LIC values persist in subgroups of patients with hemoglobinopathy, warranting closer monitoring and management optimization, even for non-transfused patients with relatively low ferritin levels.
authors.affiliation: Campus of Haematology Franco e Piera Cutino- A.O.O.R. 'Villa Sofia-Cervello', Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vitrano
authors.affiliation: Campus of Haematology Franco e Piera Cutino- A.O.O.R. 'Villa Sofia-Cervello', Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Calvaruso
authors.affiliation: Campus of Haematology Franco e Piera Cutino- A.O.O.R. 'Villa Sofia-Cervello', Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tesé
authors.affiliation: Campus of Haematology Franco e Piera Cutino- A.O.O.R. 'Villa Sofia-Cervello', Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gioia
authors.affiliation: Campus of Haematology Franco e Piera Cutino- A.O.O.R. 'Villa Sofia-Cervello', Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cassarà
authors.affiliation: Ospedale Umberto I, Siracusa, Italy.
authors.forename: Saveria
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Campisi
authors.affiliation: Ospedale Umberto I, Siracusa, Italy.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Butera
authors.affiliation: Ospedale Umberto I, Siracusa, Italy.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Commendatore
authors.affiliation: Ospedale S. Elia, Caltanissetta, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.affiliation: Ospedale S. Elia, Caltanissetta, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.affiliation: Centro Spoke Talassemia, GelaCL, Italy.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cigna
authors.affiliation: Centro Microcitemia, A.O. "V. Emanuele III", GelaCL, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quota
authors.affiliation: Centro Microcitemia, A.O. "V. Emanuele III", GelaCL, Italy.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bagnato
authors.affiliation: U.O.S. di Talassemia Ospedale San Giovanni di Dio, Agrigento, Italy.
authors.forename: Crocetta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Argento
authors.affiliation: A.O. "M. Paternò Arezzo", Ragusa, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fidone
authors.affiliation: A.O. "M. Paternò Arezzo", Ragusa, Italy.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schembari
authors.affiliation: U.O.S. di Talassemia P.O. 'Giovanni Paolo II', Sciacca, Italy.
authors.forename: Calogera
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gerardi
authors.affiliation: U.O.S. di Talassemia P.O. 'Giovanni Paolo II', Sciacca, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barbiera
authors.affiliation: P.O. 'Gravina' Caltagirone A.S.P., Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bellisssima
authors.affiliation: P.O. 'Gravina' Caltagirone A.S.P., Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giugno
authors.affiliation: Ospedale Vittorio Emanuele, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Gesualdo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Polizzi
authors.affiliation: Ospedale Vittorio Emanuele, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosamaria
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosso
authors.affiliation: U.O. Talassemia Ospedale Garibaldi, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Abbate
authors.affiliation: U.O. Talassemia Ospedale Garibaldi, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.affiliation: Arcispedale S. Anna, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chiodi
authors.affiliation: Arcispedale S. Anna, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Rita
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Gamberini
authors.affiliation: A.O. di Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Benedetta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Giorgi
authors.affiliation: A.O. di Padova, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Caterina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Putti
authors.affiliation: U.O.D. Malattie Rare del Globulo Rosso, A.O.R.N. 'A. Cardarelli', Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Filosa
authors.affiliation: U.O.D. Malattie Rare del Globulo Rosso, A.O.R.N. 'A. Cardarelli', Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Rosaria
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: De Ritis
authors.affiliation: A.O. 'Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli', Reggio Calabria, Italy.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oliva
authors.affiliation: A.O. 'Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli', Reggio Calabria, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Arcadi
authors.affiliation: Campus of Haematology Franco e Piera Cutino- A.O.O.R. 'Villa Sofia-Cervello', Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fustaneo
authors.affiliation: Campus of Haematology Franco e Piera Cutino- A.O.O.R. 'Villa Sofia-Cervello', Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mistretta
authors.affiliation: Campus of Haematology Franco e Piera Cutino- A.O.O.R. 'Villa Sofia-Cervello', Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Maggio
authors.affiliation: Campus of Haematology Franco e Piera Cutino- A.O.O.R. 'Villa Sofia-Cervello', Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sacco
authors.affiliation: Campus of Haematology Franco e Piera Cutino- A.O.O.R. 'Villa Sofia-Cervello', Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Di Salvo
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Veronica
authors.affiliation: Campus of Haematology Franco e Piera Cutino- A.O.O.R. 'Villa Sofia-Cervello', Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giangreco
authors.affiliation: Campus of Haematology Franco e Piera Cutino- A.O.O.R. 'Villa Sofia-Cervello', Palermo, Italy. md.amaggio@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Aurelio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maggio
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006453:Hemoglobinopathies / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron; D000410:Alanine Transaminase
keywords: diagnosis; iron overload; sickle cell disease; thalassemia