The MDS Beacon™

A retrospective analysis of clinical trials involving the use of Revlimid in lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes patients shows that that the rate of cancer for Revlimid-treated MDS patients is similar to the rate of cancer in the general public.

The findings were presented at the 2011 American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting held in December.

The results need to be considered carefully, however, because the analysis compares the rate of second cancers among Revlimid-treated MDS patients in clinical trials with the rate of cancer in the general public.

A more relevant…

Results from two independent clinical trials continue to show that myelodsyplastic syndromes patients may be effectively treated using both Vidaza and Revlimid.

Treatment with a combination of Vidaza (azacitidine) and Revlimid (lenalidomide) has previously been shown to be effective in higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients with or without chromosomal abnormalities.

The two new studies on the combined use of Vidaza and Revlimid were presented at the 2011 American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting last month.

Phase 2 Trial: Simultaneous Treatment With Vidaza And Revlimid

Dr. Mikkael…

A retrospective analysis indicates that treatment with Revlimid improved survival in lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes patients with a deletion in chromo­some 5 who initially were transfusion dependent.

Dr. Andrea Kuendgen of the Heinrich-Heine-Universitaet in Duesseldorf, Germany, presented the findings at the 2011 American Society of Hema­tology (ASH) conference in San Diego last week.

Revlimid (lenalidomide) is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Admin­istration as a treatment for the subgroup of lower-risk myelodys­plastic syndromes (MDS) patients who are dependent on blood transfusions and have a deletion of the long arm in chromosome…

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2011 annual meeting is currently being held in San Diego. This article will summarize the myelodysplastic syndromes-related highlights from Saturday, the first full day of the conference, and Sunday, the second day of the meeting.

Day 1

Saturday started off with an education session on myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) that consisted of three talks. The program was repeated in the afternoon.  

The day ended with a large poster session, during which study results from hundreds of blood disorder-related studies were displayed on big posters…

Results of a small French study suggest that the use of Vidaza and Revlimid as a first-line therapy in higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes patients with several chromosomal abnormalities is effective and tolerable.

The most common side effects were low blood cell counts, which required close monitoring. However, the study authors concluded from these results that the side effects were acceptable when compared to conventional chemotherapy, which is often ineffective and intolerable in high-risk patients.

Previous research has shown that the combination therapy of Vidaza (azacitidine) and Revlimid (lenalidomide) is…