News and Treatment Updates
Here's where you'll find a regularly updated, broad range of articles written by the AAMDSIF team, allied health organizations and news organizations. By staying well-informed, patients and families are practicing a form of self-support that will help them be more effective self-advocates when engaging with health care providers.
OncLive Peer Exchange: Diagnosis of Myelodysplastic Syndrome
Originally Published: 01/29/2020
Article Source: External Web Content
The panel provides perspective on the diagnosis of MDS, or Myelodysplastic Syndromes. They discuss recent innovation, including next-gen testing to enhance the efficacy of treatments. Watch these experts here!
Luspatercept in Patients with Lower-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Originally Published: 01/09/2020
Article Source: External Web Content
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Patients with anemia and lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes in whom erythropoiesis-stimulating agent therapy is not effective generally become dependent on red-cell transfusions. Luspatercept, a recombinant fusion protein that binds transforming growth factor β superfamily ligands to reduce SMAD2 and SMAD3 signaling, showed promising results in a phase 2 study.
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Iron Chelation Therapy May Improve Overall Survival in Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndrome
Originally Published: 01/02/2020
Article Source: External Web Content
Iron chelation therapy may reduce mortality and leukemia transformation risk among patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), according to a meta-analysis published in Clinical and Experimental Medicine.
Anemia is a common issue among patients with MDS. Red blood cell transfusion can be used to treat anemia in these patients but can also lead to iron overload, which is exacerbated by unrestrained intestinal iron uptake. Iron chelation therapy is sometimes administered to patients with MDS when iron overload occurs, but there is debate as to whether this is a sufficiently safe and...
AML Research Efforts in Full Swing After Decades of Stagnation
Originally Published: 12/27/2019
Article Source: External Web Content
After decades of few advances and stagnant treatment approaches, which mainly comprised 7+3 chemotherapy, the acute myeloid leukemia (AML) paradigm now has several agents approved, and plenty of ongoing trials are exploring other novel therapies alone and in combination, according to Melissa L. Larson, MD.
Several of these research efforts are focused on targeting molecular drivers of disease, such as FLT3 and IDH1/2 mutations.
The Falling, Wandering and Crashing Business of Cancer Treatment Side Effects
Originally Published: 12/26/2019
Article Source: External Web Content
With neuropathy as a result of treatment comes a whole host of issues. The first one I can think of? Oops, there goes the wine! In more ways than one, actually, as wine is probably one of the last things you can enjoy while undergoing chemo. And not only can you not enjoy it, but when you try to lift that glass onto your kitchen counter, neuropathy will cause you to instead bash it against the edge. Hopefully this was not your special glass. If you try it again while in treatment, pick the cheap old glass you got at a yard sale. No big loss. The bashing goes on for a while but it does get...
Woyach Highlights Progress and Next Steps in CLL Paradigm
Originally Published: 12/26/2019
Article Source: External Web Content
With therapeutic additions to the treatment paradigm of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), it is now a question of which regimen to give patients in the frontline setting, explained Jennifer A. Woyach, MD.
“In the frontline setting, our new options for targeted therapy include ibrutinib (Imbruvica), acalabrutinib (Calquence), and venetoclax (Venclexta) plus obinutuzumab (Gazyva). We have 3 great targeted therapy options. One of the difficulties right now is that we have such great options. [Which patient] do we choose for which agent?” said Woyach.
Symptomatic Heart Failure in Acute Leukemia Patients Treated With Anthracyclines
Originally Published: 12/17/2019
Article Source: External Web Content
Objectives
The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence and develop a risk score for heart failure (HF) in acute leukemia.
Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Other Expensive Cellular Therapies: A Miracle for the Few but Off Limits to Many?
Originally Published: 11/15/2019
Article Source: External Web Content
The number of patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for treatment of malignant and nonmalignant disorders has continued to grow worldwide. (footnotes) Great progress has been made in overcoming HLA/immunologic barriers, but nondonor barriers to HCT persist.(footnote) This represents a major unmet need because HCT is not accessible to everyone who would benefit from it.(footnote)
Genomic Biomarkers to Predict Resistance to Hypomethylating Agents in Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndromes Using Artificial Intelligence
Originally Published: 10/29/2019
Article Source: External Web Content
We developed an unbiased framework to study the association of several mutations in predicting resistance to hypomethylating agents (HMAs) in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), analogous to consumer and commercial recommender systems in which customers who bought products A and B are likely to buy C: patients who have a mutation in gene A and gene B are likely to respond or not respond to HMAs.
When Your Child With a Rare Disease Doesn’t Feel Brave
Originally Published: 10/24/2019
Article Source: External Web Content
Have you ever done something that you knew was the right thing to do, but you were scared to do it? Or maybe you did something that looked hard, but you decided to try it. That is courage in action and you probably felt very good about what you did. And you should!
Courage shows up in many ways all around you. Courage is standing up for a friend, helping someone in need or sticking with something that is hard for you to do. They say that having courage makes you a better person, and courage is one of the most important faculties you can develop.
But what if being brave and courageous was...