title: Hematological Practice in Hong Kong and China.
abstract: Thalassemias and hemophilias are the most important inherited hematological diseases in Hong Kong and China. Prenatal diagnosis has significantly decreased the burden of these diseases. For thalassemia major, adequate transfusion and iron chelation therapy have dramatically improved patient outlook. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is curative for thalassemia major and is increasingly adopted. The efficacy of arsenic trioxide in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) was discovered in China. An oral formulation of arsenic trioxide was developed in Hong Kong for newly diagnosed and relapsed APL patients. With combination chemotherapy containing non-P-glycoprotein-dependent drugs and L-asparaginase, durable remission can be achieved in the most patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Yok-Lam
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Kwong
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Shau-Yin
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: vnychana@hku.hk.
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D019468:Disease Management; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'
keywords: Acute promyelocytic leukemia; Arsenic trioxide; Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency; Hemophilia; Natural killer cell lymphoma; Thalassemia