Onkológia 3/2011

Iron overload of organism and current options of chelation treatment in oncohaematology

The article summarizes the biological importance of iron in the organism, primary and secondary causes of iron overload, complications in function of liver, heart and endocrine organs due to overload of iron, the pathophysiology of iron overload, transfusion risks associated with the iron overload, assessment of risk groups of patients suitable for chelation treatment fulfilling the indication criteria, treatment modalities of chelation therapy and its significance regarding the prevention and treatment effectiveness.

Keywords: iron, ferritin, iron overload, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), chelation therapy.