The MDS Beacon™

The success of allogeneic stem cell transplantation for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients is determined by the stage of disease, rather than age or intensity of the pre-transplant regimen, according to a study published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation, or allotransplantation, involves destroying patient bone marrow by chemotherapy or radiation and replacing it with healthy bone marrow from a matched donor.  Although this process is the only cure for MDS, it does not guarantee full…

Interim results from an ongoing Phase 2 study show that sapacitabine produces a response at three different dosing levels in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients.  The findings were presented as a poster at the American Society of Hematology 2009 annual meeting on December 5.

Sapacitabine is an orally-administered drug that mimics naturally-occurring chemical structures in the body and helps stop abnormal cell division that is characteristic of MDS or acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It is currently being investigated for the treatment of…

With the flu season upon us, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients are recommended to get the inactivated H1N1 flu shot vaccine, the seasonal flu vaccine, as well as a vaccine for pneumonia for flu-related complications. These three flu shots may be administered simultaneously at different injection sites on the body.

About The H1N1 Flu

The H1N1 flu, also referred to as “swine flu,” has caused thousands of hospitalizations and more than 600 deaths in the United States since it was first detected in…

It started as a stomach ache. What followed was 2.5 years of multiple doctor visits, scans, blood work, confusion, misdiagnosis, and a search for answers that seemed to lead only to more questions.

First doctors thought it was a virus, then liver, spleen, or appendix problems, then a low platelet count, known as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Finally, in March 2009, Mitch Kaplan was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

Living in Bergen County, New Jersey, Kaplan played Mr. Mom for much of…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on September 25 that it is examining the safety of Exjade (deferasirox) when prescribed to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients.  An initial FDA data analysis shows that MDS patients taking Exjade have a greater risk of serious side effects than patients without MDS.  The FDA announced it needs to further analyze the specifics of  the Exjade side effects, however, before coming to a final conclusion about the drug’s safety for MDS patients. 

Exjade is an iron chelating…

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has updated their most recent Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology, and mentions Vidaza (azacitidine) as superior to conventional care for patients with Intermediate-2 and high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The guidelines state that Vidaza “should be considered for treating MDS patients with progressing or relatively high-risk disease.”

The NCCN Guidelines provide recommendations to physicians for managing most types of cancers. The guidelines include a “decision pathway” that outlines recommended care for MDS patients.

The NCCN upgraded Vidaza’s…

What is excess iron?

Iron is an essential element to all living organisms, as it is an important aspect of health and disease. Iron is essential to red blood cells since they house most of the body’s iron content. Iron is normally bound by different proteins which prevent it from reacting destructively with other cells in the body. However, excess iron can overload these proteins, leading to free iron circulating and accumulating in the body due to the lack of an…

Roger Contreras was a healthy, hardworking Texan construction worker when walking up a flight of stairs and carrying bricks started to become difficult. His first hospital visit in decades and multiple tests later, doctors diagnosed him with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in July 2008.

Contreras came from a family with a clean medical history, free of cancer and high blood pressure. It came as a surprise, then, that a rare disease like MDS would choose Roger, who, at the time, “was building…

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of rare diseases, which affect the production of normally functioning blood cells in the bone marrow. In MDS, developing blood cells (“stem cells”) fail to properly mature, resulting in a lower than normal number of healthy blood cells.

MDS is characterized by overactive bone marrow that produces too many stem cells; however, many of these cells are defective (called “dysplastic”) and immature (called “blasts”). While dysplastic cells are abnormal in shape and unable to function properly,…

Have you or a loved one been diagnosed with a rare disease called myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)?

Do you feel overwhelmed just by the name of the disease?

Do you want to learn as much information as possible about MDS and potential treatment options?

Are you looking for information written in an easy-to-understand and patient-friendly way?

If so, then we are here for you.

We at Light Knowledge Resources are launching The MDS Beacon to serve people like you: patients, family members, and anyone else interested…