The MDS Beacon™

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients with trisomy 11 were observed to have a shorter overall survival rate than other patients in the intermediate-risk MDS category and may represent a higher-risk category of MDS according to a comparison study recently published in the journal Leukemia.

The study authors speculated that MDS with trisomy 11 may represent an early evolving stage of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) rather than simply intermediate-risk MDS, due to the high frequency of transformation into AML.

The chromosomal abnormality known as…

Nplate (romiplostim) may be effective in the treatment of thrombocytopenia in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients according to a recent study, and may prove to be an alternative treatment to platelet transfusions for MDS patients with thrombocytopenia.

Thrombocytopenia (low platelet levels) can be an unfavorable prognostic factor for MDS survival. Increased thrombocytopenia is often linked to a shorter time to AML progression. Platelet transfusions are currently the only available treatment option for thrombocytopenia. Transfusions carry a set of risks including alloimmunization, allergic…

Caregivers are often a very important part of a person’s fight against myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Patients need to focus on their health and may not be well enough to drive themselves to doctor appointments or to keep up with house chores. They also need someone that they can talk to about treatment options and about the emotional roller coaster they may be experiencing.

Patients lean or even depend on their caregiver, and yet as a caregiver, you are also going through…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) evaluation of Exjade (deferasirox) has concluded that the drug should not be prescribed to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients with poor prognoses or high-risk disease due to the possibility of liver or kidney impairment and gastrointestinal bleeding.  It now requires Novartis, which markets Exjade, to include a highlighted “black box warning” in the prescribing information cautioning physicians and patients about its potentially serious or fatal side effects.

Exjade is an iron chelating agent that works…

Recombinant erythropoietin (r-EPO) without granulyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) may lead to longer survival times in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients according to an analysis conducted by Italian researchers.

Recombinant erythropoietin alpha is an erythroid stimulating agent that stimulates red blood cell production. It is beneficial for MDS patients with anemia (low red blood cell count) and can reduce transfusion-dependence and improve quality of life. Recombinant means that the erythropoietin originates from an external organism and not from the patients’ own bodies.

Past studies…

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…

The addition of valproic acid (Depakene) to Dacogen (decitabine) may not improve response rates compared to Dacogen alone in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) due to valproic acid blocking how Dacogen works.

The findings are from a Phase 2 study conducted by researchers at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and were presented at the 51st annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting and exposition held in New Orleans in December.

Valproic acid activates the production of protein based on…

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients show higher and prolonged response rates to Vidaza (azacitidine) in combination with Enbrel (etanercept) than to Vidaza alone, according to a Phase 2 study recently published in the British Journal of Haemotology.

However, the study authors point out that the improved responses were improved marrow responses rather than improvements in blood cell development.

Vidaza, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2004, is a widely used therapy for MDS. However, many MDS patients either do not respond or…

The combination therapy of Vidaza (azacitidine) and thalidomide (Thalomid) did not lead to any unexpected side effects in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients according to a study performed by Australian researchers.

The findings were presented as a poster at the American Society of Hematology meeting and exposition in December 2009.

The Australian study followed results published in 2008 which showed that treating MDS and AML patients with Vidaza and thalidomide was as effective as treating high-risk patients with Vidaza alone (see related Beacon news). 

The…

Vidaza (azacytidine) may be as effective and well tolerated in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients aged 80 years and above as compared to patients less than 80 years old, according to a retrospective analysis by French researchers.

The findings were presented at the 51st Annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting and exposition in December.

MDS patients aged 80 years and above make up 30 to 35 percent of all MDS patients. These patients are usually not candidates for chemotherapy, even at low…