Myelodysplastic Syndrome
Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the drug Revlimid
(lenalidomide) for the treatment of patients with a subtype of
Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). The subtype is MDS patients with
deletion 5q cytogenetic abnormality.

Myelodysplastic Syndrome is a collection of disorders in which the bone
marrow does not function normally and the body does not make enough
normal blood cells. Patients with MDS may need blood and platelet
transfusions and antibiotic therapy for infections. In clinical trials, patients
treated with Revlimid no longer needed transfusions, with most patients
becoming independent of transfusion by three months. The
transfusion-free period lasted for an average of 44 weeks.

MDS can develop following treatment with drugs or radiation therapy for
other diseases, or it can develop without any known cause. Some forms of
MDS can progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a type of cancer in
which too many white blood cells are made.

An estimated 7,000 to12,000 new cases of MDS are diagnosed yearly in
the United States. Although MDS occurs in all age groups, the highest
prevalence is in people over 60 years of age. Typical symptoms include
weakness, fatigue, infections, easy bruising, bleeding, and fever


What is MDS?
MDS is a collection of disorders in which the bone marrow does not
function normally and not enough normal blood cells are made. MDS may
develop following treatment with drugs or radiation therapy for other
diseases or it may develop without any known cause. Some forms of MDS
can progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a type of cancer in which
too many white blood cells are made.
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