According to a recent German study, a quick sequence of two drug regimens has shown promise as preparative therapy prior to stem cell transplantation in patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes.

The German regimen involves four days of treatment with fludarabine, amsacrine, and high-dose cytarabine followed, several days later, by a single high dose of melphalan.

The researchers investigating this regimen found that 97 percent of the patients who received it achieved complete remission within one month following their stem cell transplant.

Stem cell transplantation is currently the only potentially curative treatment available to patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

In this procedure, patients first receive one or more drugs intended…

Korean researchers have determined that stem cell transplantation with partially mismatched donors may be possible for myelodysplastic syndromes patients after a reduced-intensity preparative therapy.

The researchers suggest that this approach be applied if a matched donor is not available or patients are unable to undergo preparative therapy at full intensity.

However, they also point out that further studies are needed in other ethnicities because their study included only Korean patients, who tend to have similar genetic makeup and experience fewer cases of graft-versus-host disease, a transplant-related complication in which the donor cells recognize…

Researchers recently demonstrated that elderly patients with myelodysplastic syndromes or acute myeloid leukemia can be safely and effectively treated with the reduced-intensity preparative regimen of IV busulfan-fludarabine before stem cell transplantation.

The researchers added that the regimen was particularly effective for patients whose disease was in complete remission at the time of transplantation.

Based on their findings, the researchers recommended that patients up to the age of 65 years consider reduced-intensity IV busulfan (Busulfex)-fludarabine (Fludara) as preparative regimen, unless they have other serious health issues.

The only curative treatment option…

Treatment with treosulfan and fludarabine was effective and caused few negative side effects in myelodysplastic syndromes patients receiving donor stem cell transplants, according to a recent clinical trial conducted by researchers in Washington and Oregon.

By the end of the trial, all surviving patients successfully achieved complete engraftment of the donor stem cells, meaning that the donor stem cells began producing healthy blood cells and none of the patient’s stem cells remained.  Overall, the treatment was particularly effective in patients categorized as low- or standard-risk based on their genetics.

Only…