The Malaise of Myelodysplasia

by John R. Wingard, Editor

Management of myelodysplastic syndrome has been disappointing for years. The mainstay approach was only supportive care. A malaise settled all around.

This issue presents a transcript of a symposium that addresses the topic of new therapies for myelodysplastic syndrome. This symposium was presented at the 2006 BMT Tandem Meetings in Honolulu, Hawaii. In the first presentation, Dr. Lewis R. Silverman describes the various types of myelodysplastic syndrome and provides insight into pathophysiology and therapeutic implications that research in recent years has uncovered. In the second presentation, Dr. Vinod Parameswaran notes that while allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation is curative, the obstacles in the path to transplantation are many. In the third presentation, Drs. Richard Champlin and Marcos de Lima describe new transplantation strategies with reduced-intensity preparative regimens and exploratory posttransplantation therapies in patients at high risk for relapse.

Today there are new Food and Drug Administrationâ•„cleared therapies, and novel agents are on the horizon. True progress has been small to date, but with the number of new therapies and new classes of agents undergoing study, the future is hopeful.

Will the malaise of myelodysplasia abate? Only time will tell. For now, there is considerably more hope than in the past.

In this issue:

Introduction

 

The Malaise of Myelodysplasia
John R. Wingard, MD

Membership Application

ASBMT News

CME Program: SYMPOSIUM REPORT
Before and After Transplantation: Treatment Strategies for Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes

 

Modulation of the Clone: Altering the Course of Myelodysplastic Syndrome
Lewis R. Silverman, MD

 

The Bridge to Transplantation in Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Vinod Parameswaran, MD

 

Maintenance Therapy after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation for Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Richard E. Champlin, MD & Marcos de Lima, MD

Journal Watch

CME Assessment Test

CME Answer Sheet

CME Evaluation Form

 

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