Articles related to MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROMES

Luspatercept demonstrated superiority over epoetin alfa in improving red blood cell (RBC) transfusion independence in transfusion-dependent patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS) who have not previously received erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). These findings are part of a study that was presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting:

Nutritional challenges are common in older adults with acute leukemia (AML/MDS), and can have a significant impact on their quality of life and treatment outcomes. These challenges can be caused by a variety of factors, including the disease itself, its treatment, and the normal aging process. Some of the most common nutritional challenges in older adults with AML/MDS include appetite loss, weight loss, diarrhea, constipation, and mouth sores; physicians can provide nutritional interventions to help address these challenges and improve the quality of life for older adults with AML/MDS. These interventions may include nutrition counseling, meal planning, supplementation, and enteral nutrition.

In patients with R/R MDS/AML, the combination ipilimumab + decitabine (IPI + DEC) therapy shows a favorable safety profile and significant therapeutic activity that doesn’t seem to require T cell-mediated alloreactivity. Potential transplant candidates may find that IPI + DEC therapy acts as a less strenuous transition to transplant. Future research is necessary to determine logical IPI-based treatment plans that can provide persistent responses without causing significant immune damage.

Hematologist-oncologists, hematology-oncology NP/PAs, hematology-oncology nurses, and pharmacists should be better able to use criteria for erythroid-stimulating agent (ESA) failure to hasten the identification of patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) refractory to ESA therapy, integrate safety and efficacy data on emerging therapeutic options into treatment planning for patients with lower-risk MDS after ESA failure, and integrate a multidisciplinary treatment approach after taking part in this CME activity.

In this video-supported CME activity, an expert faculty panel will provide their perspectives and insights on the latest trends and emerging research in low-risk MDS, including guideline-directed diagnostic workup, RS evaluation and SF3B1 testing and their implications, currently approved and novel emerging treatment strategies for managing lower risk MDS, and strategies to mitigate and manage treatment-related adverse events.

In this “Letters to Blood,” the author demonstrated that luspatercept provided prolonged periods of transfusion independence (TI), significantly decreased the transfusion burden among HTB and LTB patients, and generally had an acceptable and predictable safety profile, all of which helped to maintain or enhance patient quality of life. Compared to the results from the primary analysis, these data further demonstrate the clinical benefits of luspatercept in patients with LR-MDS-RS.