BMT from an alternative donor can cure some groups of patients with thalassemia. Outcome may be improved by adopting new conditioning and GVHD prophylaxis regimens that decrease the rate of graft failure and the incidence of severe aGVHD. At present, due to high graft failure and GVHD rates this type of transplant should be restricted to patients who have poor life expectancies as a result of not receiving adequate conventional treatment or because of alloimmunization to minor blood antigens