Myelodysplastic syndromes: biology and treatment

Treatment options for myelodysplastic syndromes.

Cancer Control 7 but this approach is unlikely to change the natural history of the disorder. Despite the recent approval of azacitidine, supportive care alone will remain an important treatment option for many patients with MDS. Supportive care consists of transfusions for symptomatic anemia or symptomatic thrombocytopenia, treatment of infections with antibiotics,and growth factors designed t...

Treatment Options in Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Myelodysplastic Syndromes Myelodysplastic syndromes: recent advances

Etiology of myelodysplastic syndromes The models for the development of sporadic MDS suggest the role of cumulative environmental exposures in genetically predisposed individuals. There is increasing evidence for a complex genetic predisposition to MDS involving naturally occurring DNA polymorphisms in genes that mediate DNA repair and metabolize environmental carcinogens.3 Large epidemiologic ...

Changing the treatment paradigm in myelodysplastic syndromes.

The treatment algorithm for the patient with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is in the process of being revitalized based on recent results of clinical trials. Historically, the goal for lower-risk patients was hematologic improvement, and disease modification was reserved for patients in the higher-risk category. Recent data now favor shifting emphasis away from supportive care alone and toward...

Advances in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes.

A Review of Selected Presentations From the 49th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition, December 8-11, 2007, Atlanta, Georgia.