A new report by Italian researchers suggests that Revlimid (lenalidomide), administered to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients on alternate days, may offer comparable efficacy to the standard daily dosing regimen, but with reduced side effects and treatment costs.

In MDS, Revlimid is typically used as a treatment for Low- or Intermediate-1 risk patients, especially those who require red blood cell transfusions and have del-5q.  A del-5q mutation is a chromosomal abnormality characterized by a missing ‘q’ arm of chromosome 5. 

Revlimid is intended to help MDS patients achieve red blood cell transfusion independence, and is…

European researchers report that myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients with deletion-5q syndrome (del-5q) have an increased risk of progressing to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) if they do not show blood cell and chromosome improvements after treatment with Revlimid (lenalidomide).  Their findings were published in the journal Annals of Hematology in October.

Revlimid has been used to treat Low- or Intermediate-1 risk MDS subtypes, especially those who require red blood cell transfusions or have del-5q.  The del-5q mutation is a chromosomal abnormality which is characterized by a missing ‘q’ arm of chromosome…

Revlimid (lenalidomide) has been used since 2005 to treat myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients who need red blood cell transfusions, or have deletion 5q syndrome and Low- or Intermediate-1 risk MDS.

Although the drug was initially perceived to be equally effective across all risk categories and for all deletion 5q patients, recent research has shown that the baseline prognosis of various chromosome 5 abnormalities is different.  This is expected to affect the way Revlimid is prescribed for these conditions, including deletion 5q and monosomy 5.

Patients with deletion 5q syndrome have…

Researchers from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston conducted an analysis of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients to determine the general prognoses of MDS patients with chromosome 5 abnormalities. The results showed patients with deletion 5q and monosomy 5 had significantly different survival times.

Chromosomal abnormalities, which can include missing, extra, and malformed structures, or interchanged segments, are often correlated with MDS diagnoses. However, abnormalities on the same chromosome can result in different prognoses. Having a predicted prognosis for specific conditions can help physicians prescribe effective treatments accordingly.

Deletion 5q…