The MDS Beacon™

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 a person’s genes…

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 Australian researchers stated that since…

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 doses, because older patients typically do not respond…

Dacogen (decitabine) is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for older myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients, according to findings presented at the 51st Annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting on December 6.

The risk of developing MDS increases with age, and older patients make up a large share of all MDS patients.  Older cancer patients, however, often find it particularly challenging to deal with the side effects of many cancer drugs.

For these reasons, physicians who treat MDS are particularly interested in knowing whether a potential MDS treatment is both effective…

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients with del-5q mutation enjoy a high survival rate but are as susceptible to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) transformation as other MDS sub-types, according to a tracking study conducted by European researchers. The findings were presented at the 51st annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting and exposition held in New Orleans at the beginning of December.

The del-5q mutation is a chromosomal abnormality which is characterized by a missing ‘q’ arm of chromosome 5. Although the del-5q sub-type was identified as a specific MDS diagnosis in…