The MDS Beacon™

This article is part of a series about stem cell transplantation in MDS, which will be published over the next couple of weeks. The series will explain the different types of stem cell transplants, describe the procedure for both patient and donor, address benefits and risks, and report on experiences of MDS patients who underwent the procedure.

In this final part of the series, MDS patients who underwent donor stem cell transplantation share their experiences with the procedure and how it impacted their life after the transplant.

This article covers…

This article is part of a series about stem cell transplantation in MDS, which will be published over the next couple of weeks. The series will explain the different types of stem cell transplants, describe the procedure for both patient and donor, address benefits and risks, and talk about prognosis and life after a transplant.

Introduction

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of diseases that affect the production of stem cells in the bone marrow. Patients with MDS frequently overproduce stem cells. However, many of these cells are abnormally shaped…

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is currently accepting input from the public about whether the Medicare program should be expanded to cover the cost of bone marrow and umbilical cord blood transplants for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients. Submissions can be made on the CMS Web site through December 10.

Medicare coverage of bone marrow transplants, the only known curative treatment for MDS, is important because 80 percent of MDS patients are 65 or older. MDS patients typically respond best to allogeneic stem cell transplantation, where the bone…