Myelodysplastic syndromes patients who have low levels of an iron-binding protein prior to stem cell transplantation may have longer survival after the procedure than those with high levels of the protein.

Researchers from Illinois presented these findings at the 2011 meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Stem cell transplantation is a procedure in which a donor’s healthy bone marrow stem cells are used to replace a patient’s unhealthy bone marrow stem cells. Stem cell transplantation is the only known potential cure for MDS, but there is also…

Myelodysplastic syndromes physicians and researchers are gathering at the 16th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) in London to share the latest findings in the field. The meeting starts today and will run through Sunday, June 12.

The MDS Beacon will report on the most important new findings related to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) over the next couple of weeks.

The research presented at the meeting will cover all areas of hematology, which is the study of blood, blood-forming organs, and blood-related diseases, including MDS.

Today researchers will have the…

The results of a recent analysis suggest that reducing the intensity of preparative treatment prior to stem cell transplantation does not affect outcomes in myelodysplastic syndromes patients.

Previous studies have shown that reducing the intensity improves the safety of the stem cell transplant procedure, but some studies suggest that the reduced-intensity treatment also decreases the efficacy.

In this study, response duration and survival were similar between patients receiving the reduced-intensity treatment and those receiving the conventional intensity.

The results were presented during a poster session on Monday at the American…

Results of a recent Korean analysis suggest that treatment with Vidaza or Dacogen followed by allogeneic stem cell transplantation is effective and safe for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

The Korean researchers pointed out, however, that further studies are necessary to confirm their findings.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation is currently the only curative treatment option for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). In this procedure, a patient receives healthy blood-forming stem cells from a matched donor, who is typically a close relative.

Research has shown that Vidaza (azacitidine) and Dacogen…

Researchers confirmed that long-term survival is likely for myelodysplastic patients who survive at least two years after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. However, the researchers pointed out that there is still a significant need to reduce the rate of late life-threatening complications, such as graft-versus-host disease and infection.

The only curative treatment for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) currently available is allogeneic stem cell transplantation. In this procedure, patients undergo chemotherapy or radiation to destroy abnormal stem cells. Patients then receive healthy stem cells from a matched donor, often a sibling or other…