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 Researchers from the United States and Spain recently found that lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes patients may benefit from early treatment with a certain kind of stem cell transplant. Specifically, the patients benefited from donor stem cell transplants without T-cells, a type of white blood cell. Over 60 percent of patients experienced survival times greater than five years, and the rate of graft-versus-host disease, a common transplant-related complication, was low. According to the researchers, these findings support the use of transplantation without T-cells in lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients. The findings were presented at the 2011 American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting last month. Donor stem cell transplantation, also called allogeneic stem cell transplantation, is the only curative treatment for patients with MDS. However, this treatment is typically… Read the full story » | . |
A combination of the drugs Velcade and belinostat may be active in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, according to results of a small Phase 1 clinical trial.
These results were presented during a poster session at the 2011 American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting last month.
Velcade (bortezomib) is currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma.
Belinostat (PXD 101), which is being developed jointly by the American company Spectrum Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SPPI) and the Danish company TopoTarget, belongs…
Results of a recent, small French study indicate that it may be possible for myelodysplastic syndromes patients to receive Vidaza treatment at home instead of at a doctor’s office or hospital.
The findings were presented at the 2011 American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting in San Diego last month.
In France, chemotherapy is typically administered in a hospital. However, the French National Health Service allows home administration of some chemotherapy treatments after the first treatment cycle.
A group of French researchers, therefore, sought to investigate if Vidaza (azacitidine) could…
Treatment with Sprycel yields low response rates and high rates of progression to leukemia in patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes, according to results from a recent small Phase 2 study.
The study authors found that 50 percent of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) progressed to leukemia.
However, the results also showed that patients who responded or maintained stable disease survived significantly longer than those who did not respond. The study investigators suggested that Sprycel could be a reasonable treatment option for MDS, CMML, and acute myeloid…
Preliminary results from a Phase 1 study show that the developmental drug ARRY-614 may be effective and safe for lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes patients who have failed other therapies.
Dr. Rami Komrokji of the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, presented these results at the 2011 American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting last month.
ARRY-614 is an oral drug that is being developed by Array BioPharma. It works by preventing the death of precursor blood cells, the cells that give rise to mature blood cells. Maintaining more precursor…
Sequential treatment with Zolinza, idarubicin, and cytarabine is safe and highly effective in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes, according to results from a recent Phase 2 study.
The study authors also found that patients with mutations in the FLT-3 gene responded particularly well to the drug combination, yielding an overall response rate of 100 percent.
Dr. Guillermo Garcia-Manero of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston presented these findings at the 2011 American Society of Hematology (ASH) conference in San Diego last month.
Zolinza (vorinostat), which…