The MDS Beacon™

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…

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 a donor stem cell transplantation share their experiences with the procedure and how it impacted their life after the transplant.

This article…

A recent study of myelodysplastic syndromes patients who received a donor stem cell transplant showed that the percentage of donor versus patient stem cells in the bone marrow or blood may be able to predict relapse.

Stem cell transplants for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients are usually performed by giving the patient stem cells from a healthy donor. This is the only known cure for MDS.

Ideally, the patient’s blood-forming stem cells are destroyed and replaced by the donor’s healthy stem cells. The donor’s cells then grow in the patient and…

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 the transplant.

Although stem cell transplants can cure MDS, they are associated with certain risks and complications.

This article will summarize the benefits and risks associated with the procedure.

Benefits

A stem cell transplant replaces an MDS…

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.

Although stem cell transplants can cure myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), not all patients are good candidates for the procedure. In general, the procedure is considered as a treatment option for younger patients with high-risk MDS who…

Results of a recent study suggest that serum albumin, a protein in blood, may be a good factor to determine the prognoses of acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes patients who have received an allogeneic stem cell transplant.

Stem cell transplantation is the only known cure for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). When patients undergo an allogeneic stem cell transplant, they receive healthy stem cells from a donor (For more information about stem cell transplantation, please see the related Beacon article).

However, not all patients are suitable for transplants, and more…

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…

Researchers in Germany showed that myelodysplastic syndromes patients have significantly higher rates of overall and relapse-free survival and lower rates of side effects when treated with a treosulfan-based chemotherapy than with a standard total body irradiation-based therapy before stem cell transplantation.

Stem cell transplants are currently the only curative treatment available for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). They require patients to be treated with chemotherapy or radiation to prepare their bodies for the procedure. However, these initial treatments are associated with severe side effects.

The majority of MDS patients are older people…

Results from a recent study suggest that treatment with Vidaza or Dacogen is effective for myelodysplastic syndromes patients before they receive donor stem cell transplants. Researchers from South Korea presented these findings at the 2010 European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress.

Stem cell transplantation in which abnormal bone marrow is replaced with healthy donor marrow is the only therapy known to cure myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Vidaza (azacitidine) and Dacogen (decitabine), similar types of drugs that both suppress MDS, can be used to reduce the number of diseased blood cells in the…