How Is MDS Diagnosed?
Table of Contents
How Is MDS Treated?
Your treatment options depend on the type of MDS you have and your symptoms. Also, consider what your goals are for treatment. Do you want to stop the disease from getting worse? Or do you want to have a stem cell transplant?
Your doctor will look at your overall health and your specific type of MDS when recommending treatments. You may need more than one treatment. These are common ones:
Blood transfusions. This is the most common treatment for people with Low Blood Counts (Anemia) caused by MDS.
Growth factors. These drugs help the bone marrow make healthy blood cells. They’re given as shots under the skin or through a vein (IV).
Chemotherapy. These drugs can help stop abnormal blood cells from growing, but they can also kill healthy ones. You may need to take them for a short time during treatment or long-term if the MDS keeps coming back.
Cytotoxic agents. Doctors use these drugs to destroy abnormal cells in people with certain types of MDS that haven’t responded well to other treatments, including chemotherapy and growth factors.
Immunosuppressive drugs. These medications slow down or stop your immune system from attacking healthy blood cells in people with MDS.
Treatment Options for MDS
The treatment of MDS depends on the type of MDS, its stage, and the patient’s age and overall health. Treatment may include blood transfusions, medications to stimulate red blood cell production, and/or chemotherapy.
Blood Transfusions
Blood transfusions are often used in MDS at diagnosis to raise the hemoglobin level and reduce the need for transfusions. Patients with a low platelet count should be monitored closely for bleeding problems so that they can be treated promptly.
Medications to Stimulate Red Blood Cell Production
Certain drugs, including erythropoietin (EPO) and darbepoetin (Aranesp), can increase red blood cell production. These drugs are effective in about 40%–50% of patients with lower-risk MDS. They are not effective in higher-risk forms of MDS.
Chemotherapy
Treatment options include:
Single Drug Therapy: Lower-risk patients who require therapy are often treated with azacitidine (Vidaza) or decitabine (Dacogen). Both drugs have been shown to prolong survival, but neither is considered curative.
Stem Cell Transplant for MDS
Stem cell transplant is a procedure in which healthy blood stem cells are used to replace the unhealthy ones. People who have MDS usually need a stem cell transplant as soon as possible after they are diagnosed, but only if they are healthy enough to survive the procedure. In certain cases, people with MDS may be able to wait and get the transplant later, when they are sicker. This can reduce the risk of relapse due to “clonal evolution” during the waiting period and also allows time for new drugs that may increase survival after transplant. This strategy is called “watch and wait” or “delayed transplant.”
If you need a stem cell transplant, your doctor will discuss with you whether to use your own stem cells (autologous) or stem cells from a donor (allogeneic). Autologous transplants can be performed only if you have few or no symptoms of MDS and your disease has not transformed into AML. Allogeneic transplants can be done after autologous transplants fail or if your MDS is too advanced for an autologous transplant.
Clinical Trials for MDS
There are many different types of clinical trials that may be appropriate for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The goal of a clinical trial is to help scientists find new and better ways to detect, treat, or prevent the disease. Some of these studies look at new treatments or compare existing treatments. Others look at ways to improve comfort or quality of life for people living with MDS. Still others focus on prevention or screening.
Patients who participate in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment, a new treatment, or no treatment at all. The choice depends on what is being studied and what researchers already know about the disease they are studying.
Research studies often involve more than one type of healthcare professional. Doctors, nurses, social workers and other healthcare professionals work together during a study to care for the needs and concerns of patients with MDS who volunteer to participate in a clinical trial.
Clinic for Myeloid Malignancies Precursor Conditions
The Clinic for Myeloid Malignancies and Precursor Conditions, one of the first clinics of its kind in the world, provides comprehensive care for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). At this clinic, patients meet with a team of specialists who work together to determine the best treatment options.
Our services include:
- Consultation with a hematologist
- Lab tests and imaging
- Bone marrow biopsy, if needed
- Clinical trials
Improving Care for MDS through Research
If you have MDS, participating in a clinical trial or research study may give you access to treatment options not available outside the clinical trial setting. These options could be brand-new therapies or treatments that have already been approved by the FDA, but that aren’t yet widely used in treating MDS.
Even if there is no chance of your benefiting directly, your participation may provide information that will help others with MDS in the future.